ESPN playoff predictions: 11 of 12 voters pick Rockets to beat Lakers
Of ESPN’s 12 NBA experts, 11 are projecting the Rockets to defeat the Lakers in their first-round playoff series. Game 1 is Saturday night.
With leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves likely sidelined by injury, the Los Angeles Lakers are underdogs in their first-round playoff matchup versus the Houston Rockets. Even though Los Angeles (53-29, No. 4 in Western Conference standings ) earned home-court advantage versus Houston (52-30, No.
5) and won two of the three head-to-head meetings in the regular season, it’s the Rockets who enter as betting favorites . And it’s not simply from Las Vegas. Of ESPN’s 12 NBA experts , 11 are predicting the Rockets to advance out of the first round — and only two of the 11 even have the series going to a decisive Game 7.
The other nine Houston voters have the best-of-seven series ending in five or six games. ESPN’s complete list of voter predictions for the first round, including picks for every other confirmed series and the play-in tournament, is available here . Game 1, Game 2, Game 5, and Game 7 of the series are slated to be played in Los Angeles, while Game 3, Game 4, and Game 6 are in Houston.
All contests from Game 5 onward are if necessary. Game 1 will be played Saturday, April 18, in Los Angeles, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p. m.