The Los Angeles Lakers (17-10) begin a four-game road trip on Thursday in Houston against the underachieving Rockets (12-14) as road underdogs at sportsbooks.

The Lakers have started to hit their stride in the first year with LeBron James, winning nine of their last 12 games, while the Rockets have continued to disappoint nearly a third of the way through the year with losses in three of their past four and seven of 10.

NBA point spread: The Rockets opened as 4.5-point favorites; the total is at 223, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 113.2-109.3, Rockets (NBA picks on every game)

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Why the Lakers can cover the spread

Los Angeles has won its last two games and six of seven heading into this rematch with Houston.

The Lakers lost their second game of the season to the Rockets 124-115 en route to an 0-3 start, but times have certainly changed since then. They have seen James transition into more of a leadership role lately as younger players like Kyle Kuzma continue to grow and become even better with him as a teammate.

Kuzma scored a game-high 33 points in Monday's 108-105 win over the Miami Heat, and James nearly had a triple-double with 28 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.

Why the Rockets can cover the spread

Despite some early struggles, Houston is still just two games out of a playoff spot in the West and has been a better home team at 6-5 straight up and 5-6 against the spread.

The Rockets have had much more trouble winning on the road, where they have lost three straight.

Houston is coming off a 111-103 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday behind point guard Chris Paul's 15th career triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and James Harden scored a team-high 29 to help them cover the spread as 6.5-point home favorites.

Smart betting pick

You can bet both James and Harden will be extra motivated for this matchup, especially since the last meeting saw three players get ejected for fighting late in the fourth quarter in Los Angeles.

Two of the players involved in the skirmish (Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram) are out for the Lakers due to injuries, so at least the drama should be at a minimum this time around.

That said, Paul was involved for Houston and will look to take advantage of Los Angeles' young backcourt as well. Bet on the Rockets to win and cover.

NBA betting trends

The total has gone under in 10 of Los Angeles' last 12 games.

Los Angeles is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Houston.

Houston is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games at home. 

All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.