Rockets at Lakers - NBA Betting Odds

NBA betting odds have the LA Lakers -12 at home in NBA odds for Game 5 against the Rockets with a betting total of 198. Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34 points in Game 4 while Shane Battier added 23 points to help the Rockets demolish the spread as 7.5 point NBA betting underdogs.

“I think everyone but us got the memo that we weren’t supposed to show up today without Yao,” Battier said.

The Rockets led by as many as 29 points and the Lakers looked nothing like a potential NBA champ. Pau Gasol scored 30 points and Kobe Bryant had 15 for a Lakers team that looked disinterested. Head coach Phil Jackson had warned his players but they didn’t listen.

“They didn’t anticipate the energy that they were going to come with,” Jackson said. “But you say as much as you can as a coach and then the players have to execute and do it on the floor.”

The Lakers could be facing more difficulty on Tuesday as forward Lamar Odom was injured in Game 4 and did not return. He missed practice on Monday but still may play on Tuesday. If you are looking to see who will win Game 5 you might only need to watch the first quarter. The team that has led at the end of the first quarter has won all 10 of Houston’s playoff games.