Houston Rockets Los Angeles Lakers Game 4 Predictions
Written May 9, 2009 by Jason Lowry
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The Los Angeles Lakers regained home court advantage against the Rockets, as Kobe Bryant and company went into Houston and beat the Rockets 108-94. Bryant had a game high 33 points for the Lakers, who had all five starters score in double figures. Lamar Odom had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza had 13 a piece, and Jordan Farmar stepped in for Derek Fisher to score 12 points plus 7 assists. For the Rockets Ron Artest led the way with 25 points, but was just 10-23 from the field. Yao Ming had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while both Luis Scola and Carl Landry had 10 points. Game 5 stays in Houston, and is a near must win game for the Rockets with game 5 heading back to LA. Here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win game 4, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.
What the Lakers have to do to win: I think the key is to keep feeding off the play of Kobe, who looks to be taking the challenge of Artest and Shane Battier pretty well. The only concern I have is Bryant is shooting a ton of shots, 28 in game 3, and it could really hurt the chemistry of this basketball team if it starts turning into a Kobe vs. everyone showcase. Gasol has really struggled to get it going against Ming when he is on the floor, and he might not do much the rest of the series. Odom finally busted out of a little slump and played much better in game 3, and he will need to continue to play at a high level with Andrew Bynum continuing to play poorly. Bynum had just 4 points and 3 fouls in 12 minutes of play in game 3. It will be a big boost to the Lakers offensive attack to get Fisher back in the lineup, but if Bryant keeps playing the way he has in the last two games, it really won’t matter what the rest of the team does. I do think Bryant needs to try and get the rest of the team involved early, as he had just 3 assists in game 3. I look for another strong showing from the Lakers, but expect a much more physical game in a must win for Houston. Bet the Lakers -3.5 to win at Sportsbook.com.
What the Rockets have to do to win: I think the key for this team is getting Yao Ming going on the offensive end, he was great in game 1, scoring 28 points, but has had just 31 points combined in the last two. Aaron Brooks has also struggled to put the ball in the hoop, and the Rockets really need his scoring if they want to make this at least a 6 game series. Artest has really shot the ball well at times in this series, and he will need another big game in game 4, if Ming doesn’t get things going. The bench was pretty good in game 3, as nearly 3 players scored in double figures, and they outscored the Lakers bench 27-21. It won’t be easy but Battier or Artest has to find a way to get Bryant off his game, as the Lakers really haven’t got much from anyone besides Bryant in this series. Scola was the top scorer for the Rockets in the first round, but has not been much of a threat at all in this series, and his scoring will go a long way in determining if the Rockets go back to LA tied up at 2-2 or in a big hole down 3-1. Bet the Rockets +3.5 to win at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction:Â Rockets +3.5. I always like a solid home team getting points in the playoffs, and I really feel like the Rockets are going to win this game straight up. If the Rockets don’t win this game the series, is over, as I don’t see them having much of a chance in LA down 3-1. I look for both Artest and Ming to have a big game, and the defense to do a much better job on Bryant.Â
For those of you looking to do some NBA betting on the game this weekend, be sure to check out our expert NBA picks and grab the latest NBA odds at Betfirms.
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2 Responses to “Houston Rockets Los Angeles Lakers Game 4 Predictions”
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The face of the series has changed. The Rockets have become a perimeter team and have to shoot the lights out to give the Lakers a run for their money.
Although Scola is hard-nosed I think that Gasol has a field day from here on out.
Waiting for the Cavs – Lakers/Denver final. It’ll be fun.
Ryan
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This series is over now without Yao in the game. It’s really a matter of whether LA will cover the (-8) points or not. And I think they will giving them a chance to close out the series in the follwing game in Los Angeles.
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