LA Lakers vs Houston Rockets Prediction 4/29/26 NBA Picks Today

The Houston Rockets invade the Crypto.com Arena to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the 1st Round on Wednesday night.

The Houston Rockets needed to come out swinging to avoid getting swept at home and they did just that by smashing the Lakers in a 115-96 win in Game 4 on Sunday. Amen Thompson led the team with 23 points and seven assists on 10 of 16 shooting, Tari Eason added 20 points with five steals on seven of 10 shooting, Alperen Sengun scored 19 points while Reed Sheppard chipped in with 17 points. As a team, the Rockets shot 48 percent from the field and 12 of 30 from the 3-point line, but this win was set up by their effort on defense as they held the Lakers to just 21 points in the first quarter to take a nine-point lead into halftime, before they caught fire and dominated the third quarter by 34-18 to lead by as many as 28 points at one stage. No bench player scored more than nine points in this game but all five starters scored at least 16 points.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t come out of the gates looking like a team gunning for a series sweep and they got burned by the Rockets in a tough loss on Sunday. Deandre Ayton led the team in scoring with 19 points with 10 rebounds on nine of 12 shooting, Rui Hachimura added 13 points while LeBron James chipped in with 10 points and nine assists on two of nine shooting from the field. As a team, the Lakers shot 50 percent from the field and a miserly five of 22 from the 3-point line as they failed to match the intensity of the Rockets from the start and kept falling into a deeper hole as the game wore on. No bench player scored more than eight points, Luke Kennard finished with just seven points on three of eight shooting while LeBron James racked up eight turnovers.

The Rockets are still sweating on the availability of Kevin Durant, while the Lakers have ruled out Luka Doncic again but there is a chance that Austin Reaves makes his return to the lineup here. This is definitely a game to check the lineups before tipoff given the injury cloud hanging over both squads. With that being said, the Lakers were playing great basketball in the first three games of the series and there was always a chance of a letdown performance in a closeout game on the road, so while the momentum has shifted back towards the Rockets, I am sticking with the Lakers to seal the deal with a narrow win and cover at home, especially if Reaves is able to return.

Peter Tran's Free Pick: LA Lakers -4.5

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