NBA pick of the day · Sat, Apr 18 · 8:30 PM ET
Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers +5
The pick: Los Angeles Lakers +5 at −112 (FanDuel)
Won. Final: Houston Rockets 98, Los Angeles Lakers 107.
The Lakers hold a decisive advantage in the paint with Deandre Ayton against an undersized Rockets frontcourt missing Steven Adams. Houston's offense will struggle without Kevin Durant and Fred VanVleet, while Los Angeles has enough scoring depth to exploit mismatches. The home court environment and superior interior presence will allow the Lakers to control tempo and win by 8+ points.