Writeup...
Rockets stole game 1 from L.A., largely due to their stellar defensive play, as they held the high octane offense of the Lakers, to 92 points all game..defense is undoubtedly the backbone of this Houston team, and the key to their success, if they hope to continue to challenge L.A. throughout the 2nd round of the playoffs...Coming off a game 2, where they allowed the Lakers to score 111, a renewed sense of commitment to the defensive end can be expected from Houston..Following a game where the rockets allowed their opponent to score 105 + points, the Under is 12-3 this season..Also worth noting that, although the Lakers put up 111 points, 39 of them came in the 1st quarter, and Lakers were held to 72 points throughout the remaining 3 quarters of the game..This game, however is in Houston, where the rockets play their best defense..The under is a perfect 5-0 in the Rocket's last 5 home games..Also the Under in Houston, cashed at a 60% clip throughout the regular season..Lakers also, realize the significance of playing well defensively, most specifically on the road..You cannot expect to win games on the road, by simply outscoring the competition, something the Lakers figured out the hard way in last years championship series against the Celtics..Expect them to play solid defensively, in hopes of keeping the game within reach..The Under is 8-2 in the Laker's last 10 road games, and 4-1 in their last 5 overall..both teams, have the bigs to clog up the paint, and challenge the otherwise easy layups and dunks, that teams tend to score from, throughout a game..Also, I expect Battier and Artest, to play better defensively against Kobe, forcing him to once again become a high volume shooter, which will only hurt his percentage from the field, and further help our chances for an 'Under'..game 3's also tend to see a great deal of adjustments from both teams..An adjustment I am expecting the Rockets to make tonight, is with their transition defense..In game 2, Lakers outscored the Rockets 20-5 in fast break, something which undoubtedly caught the attention of Houston's coaching staff, and also contributed to the 'Over' result of game 2...I expect Houston to pay more attention to getting back on defense, to defend, against the fast break of L.A. in tonight's game..All in all, both teams should be better defensively tonight, imo, as game 3's tend to revert teams back to their defensive fundamentals..I would not be surprised to see this game played in the 80's, but I am expecting at worst, for it to stay in the low 90's which should be enough for us to cash this Under..GL as always...
Rockets stole game 1 from L.A., largely due to their stellar defensive play, as they held the high octane offense of the Lakers, to 92 points all game..defense is undoubtedly the backbone of this Houston team, and the key to their success, if they hope to continue to challenge L.A. throughout the 2nd round of the playoffs...Coming off a game 2, where they allowed the Lakers to score 111, a renewed sense of commitment to the defensive end can be expected from Houston..Following a game where the rockets allowed their opponent to score 105 + points, the Under is 12-3 this season..Also worth noting that, although the Lakers put up 111 points, 39 of them came in the 1st quarter, and Lakers were held to 72 points throughout the remaining 3 quarters of the game..This game, however is in Houston, where the rockets play their best defense..The under is a perfect 5-0 in the Rocket's last 5 home games..Also the Under in Houston, cashed at a 60% clip throughout the regular season..Lakers also, realize the significance of playing well defensively, most specifically on the road..You cannot expect to win games on the road, by simply outscoring the competition, something the Lakers figured out the hard way in last years championship series against the Celtics..Expect them to play solid defensively, in hopes of keeping the game within reach..The Under is 8-2 in the Laker's last 10 road games, and 4-1 in their last 5 overall..both teams, have the bigs to clog up the paint, and challenge the otherwise easy layups and dunks, that teams tend to score from, throughout a game..Also, I expect Battier and Artest, to play better defensively against Kobe, forcing him to once again become a high volume shooter, which will only hurt his percentage from the field, and further help our chances for an 'Under'..game 3's also tend to see a great deal of adjustments from both teams..An adjustment I am expecting the Rockets to make tonight, is with their transition defense..In game 2, Lakers outscored the Rockets 20-5 in fast break, something which undoubtedly caught the attention of Houston's coaching staff, and also contributed to the 'Over' result of game 2...I expect Houston to pay more attention to getting back on defense, to defend, against the fast break of L.A. in tonight's game..All in all, both teams should be better defensively tonight, imo, as game 3's tend to revert teams back to their defensive fundamentals..I would not be surprised to see this game played in the 80's, but I am expecting at worst, for it to stay in the low 90's which should be enough for us to cash this Under..GL as always...
