Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/25/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Thursday, December 25, 2025

Location: crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (-3.5)

crypto.com Arena is the location where the Los Angeles Lakers (19-9) will meet the Houston Rockets (17-10) on Thursday. Houston opens this contest as 3.5-point favorites. The over/under has been set at 229.

The Rockets faced off with the Clippers and ended up losing by a score of 128-108 in their last contest. Houston wrapped up the game with a 50.0% field goal percentage (43 of 86) and made 9 of 30 three-point attempts. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Rockets made 13 of 18 shots for a rate of 72.2%. With respect to hauling in boards, they collected 42 with 15 of them being offensive. They also doled out 25 assists for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 5 steals. When talking about defense, Houston allowed 54.5% from the floor on 42 out of 77 shooting. Los Angeles recorded 25 dimes and had 7 steals for this contest. Moreover, Los Angeles grabbed 34 boards (6 offensive, 28 defensive) and added 6 blocks. Los Angeles finished the game at 88.9% from the charity stripe by making 24 of their 27 attempts. They also converted 20 of their 37 attempts from beyond the perimeter. In regard to fouls, the Rockets ended up walking away with 20 while the Clippers racked up 19 fouls.

Kevin Durant is one guy who was a contributor in this game. He totaled 22 points on 8 of 15 shooting. He played for 29 minutes played and totaled 5 rebounds. Durant finished shooting 53.3% from the floor and also earned 1 assist.

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Houston will take the court with a mark of 17-10 so far this year. They turn the ball over 16.2 times per game and as a team they are committing 20.5 personal fouls every game. As a team, Houston is grabbing 48.7 boards per game and has accumulated 697 assists this season, which has them ranked 27th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Rockets are shooting 40.0% on three-point attempts (326 of 816) and 78.2% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 120.5 points per outing (3rd in basketball) while going 48.7% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Rockets are forcing 13.8 turnovers per game and they draw 22.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 1st in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 661 surrendered for the campaign. The Rockets defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 46.2% (1,102 of 2,384) and they surrender 38.2 boards per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 35.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 6th in basketball in PPG from their opponents (112.7).

The last time they took the court, the Lakers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 132-108 against the Suns. The Lakers were able to snag 24 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds totaling 38 for this contest. They turned the ball over 17 times, while getting 7 steals in this game. The Suns were called for 24 personal fouls in this game which took the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 29 attempts. They were able to knock down 18 of the free throws for a rate of 62.1%. With regard to shots from distance, Los Angeles converted 12 out of their 32 tries (37.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Lakers walked away from this one shooting 39 out of 81 from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.1%. The Lakers allowed the Suns to make 50 out of their 85 tries from the floor which had them at 58.8% in this contest. They finished 41.2% from downtown by going 14 out of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 18 out of 20 from the free throw line (90.0%). With respect to rebounding, Los Angeles allowed Phoenix to collect 38 in all (12 offensive).

LeBron James ended up being a major contributor for the Lakers for the matchup. He buried 7 of 14 in this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. James racked up 23 points in his 26 mins on the court and had 6 dimes in this game.

Los Angeles has a win-loss record of 19-9 so far this season. The Lakers commit 20.0 fouls per game and they go 78.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 24.9 times per game (26th in the NBA) and they lose possession via turnover 15.3 times per contest. Los Angeles has accounted for 3,295 points so far this year (117.7 per game) and they average 41.8 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Lakers are connecting on 49.9% from the field, which ranks them 2nd in the league.

The Lakers on the defensive end are ranked 19th in the league in points per game surrendered with 117.4. They are forcing 15.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 48.4% from the field (26th in the league). The Los Angeles defense surrenders 38.5% on shots from distance (407 of 1,056) and their opposition makes 80.2% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 27.7 assists and 40.1 total boards per game, which ranks 23rd and 2nd in the league.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Los Angeles (+3.5)

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