NBA Wednesday Game of the Night - Lakers at Houston and two big parlays

We hit a big +1051 parlay on Tuesday night and will look to keep it going on Wednesday night. The Lakers will be without both Anthony Davis (foot) and LeBron James (foot) at Houston tonight and the Rockets may be without center Alperen Sengun (groin) for a second straight game. There should be plenty of scoring opportunities for both teams and someone is going to have to step up and score for the Lakers.

The Lakers have won four of their last five games and the loss was a close one at home against the Knicks on Sunday. They’re currently the No. 10 seed in the West and need to keep winning games to keep their postseason dreams alive. That will be a tall order without LeBron and AD but that also provides an opportunity for others to step up. 

D’Angelo Russell scored 28 and 33 points against the Raptors and Knicks in his previous two games before scoring just 17 points against the Pelicans on Tuesday. And the Lakers are going to need his scoring tonight without Davis and LeBron. Add in the fact that the Rockets are literally the worst team in the league against opposing point guards, and Russell should go off tonight. In fact, we wouldn't be shocked if he were to drop a 40-burger on them. He also scored 30 and 23 points against the Rockets when he was still with Minnesota in back-to-back January games, for what it’s worth.

Malik Beasley scored 24 points on Monday against the Pelicans and while he only scored four and eight points in his previous two games, will be needed on offense tonight. And we like the fact he’s coming in hot and scored those 24 points on the same night AD went off for 35 against the Pels. 

Jarred Vanderbilt is another guy who should be in line to step up for the Lakers tonight. He’s averaging 14.1 points & rebounds in seven March games and Davis played in all but one of those. He has nine double-doubles this season and one of those came against these Rockets. We're hoping for double-double No. 10 from Vando tonight.

Austin Reaves (14 points on Monday) and Rui Hachimura (12 points) are also going to have to step up for the Lakers tonight. 

The Rockets could be without Sengun (groin) in this one after he sat on Monday when Houston somehow beat the reeling Celtics. The Rockets got a balanced attack in that one with Jalen Green leading the way with 28 points. Jabari Smith Jr., who is starting to really come on, added 24 points, 11 boards and five 3-pointers, Kenyon Martin Jr. had 20 points and eight rebounds, Kevin Porter Jr. had 14 points, six rebounds, 13 assists and three steals, and Tari Eason, filling in for Sengun, had six points and nine boards in the win. 

The Rockets went small in that one, not really using any centers and may have to do so again tonight if Sengun is out. And with the Lakers missing big men of their own, it would make sense for them to do so. 

The Rockets have nothing to play for other than the hope of getting the No. 1 pick in the draft (Victor Wembanyama) while the Lakers have everything to play for if they want to give LeBron another postseason. The Rockets are somehow 3-3 over their last six games and may actually sleep on the Lakers without their two superstars. But we like the Rockets getting the points at home in hopes of picking up another confidence-boosting win against a wounded team. They’re still tied for the fewest wins at 16 so getting another one tonight shouldn’t jeopardize their lottery odds. 

To see all of Wednesday’s Best Picks at Oddscrowd click here! And for our NCAA preview ahead of Thursday’s bracket hoops-fest, click here!

Pick: Rockets +3

Same Game +1149 Parlay #1 at FanDuel

Leg 1: D’Angelo Russell to score 25+ points

Leg 2: Jalen Green to score 25+ points

Leg 3: Jarred Vanderbilt to score 10+ points

Leg 4: Jarred Vanderbilt to record 10+ rebounds

Same Game +1400 Parlay #2 at FanDuel 

Leg 1: Jabari Smith to score 15+ points

Leg 2: Jabari Smith to record 10+ rebounds

Leg 3: Malik Beasley to score 15+ points

Leg 4: Kevin Porter Jr. to record 8+ assists