I Don't Care If Doncic Plays Or Not, Give Me Houston

Rockets vs. Lakers, 8:30 ET

Of all the first round series, this has to be the most intriguing. There are a number of angles on this that you can take, and to make it crazier, we don't really know how good or available certain guys are going to be. For the Lakers, they are still without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The Rockets dealt with a major injury at the start of the season, and now look to make a run in the playoffs after being eliminated in the first round. This is more than just a battle between Kevin Durant and LeBron James as the Rockets take on the Lakers.

Undoubtedly, the person with the most to lose in this series is Kevin Durant. Durant, the star sharpshooter, has looked great this season and is the go-to scorer that Houston desperately needed a season ago. However, the team wasn't better than last year, and the team definitely was missing a point guard to guide the team. Fred VanVleet's injury may not have seemed devastating at the time, but I do think it hurt them more than most realize. The team still ended 22 games above .500 and the middle groups weren't separated by much so two games could've made this a home series for the Rockets instead of heading on the road. Ime Udoka will come into the series as a favorite, and probably a deserving one. After losing to Golden State last year, the Rockets need to advance this year.

William Navarro-Imagn Images

It sounds crazy, but LeBron needs to win this series. Look, he's like 90 years old and accomplished basically everything in basketball. If he retires at the end of this season (he won't), losing again in the first round would be a bad look. He has lost the past two seasons in the first round of the playoffs, barely making it a series in either of them. The Lakers are only a few years removed from making the Western Conference Finals. The team is a lot different now, and James is normally a third option. However, with Reaves out he needs to produce at a high level. If Doncic is out, this team is toast anyway. Doncic returned to LA on Tuesday, but I don't truly believe he will be back for the series. Even if he is, I can't believe he would be used for 35-40 minutes. He was playing phenomenal basketball before he was injured so maybe he does give it a go.

Even if Doncic can make it, I think that there will be a major possibility that he is reserved or a bit of a decoy. He already isn't much of an impact player on defense, so unless he is 100%, he is probably more of a liability. Once the adrenaline gets going, though, who knows? The Rockets are playing some strong basketball, and Durant will give them the push they need to at least get out of this series. Give me Houston -5.5 in this one. 

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