After staving off elimination at home in Game 4, the Rockets will travel to Los Angeles on Wednesday night to try and do it again.

Houston will still be missing Kevin Durant (ankle), while it appears that the Lakers will be getting some reinforcements, as Austin Reaves (oblique) is expected to play though a questionable tag, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. It would be a massive boost for Los Angeles and some much needed help for the aging LeBron James.

Let’s break down how the public is betting this elimination contest on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Rockets vs. Lakers Game 5 Betting Splits, Odds

The betting public seems to be in love with the Lakers, which makes a lot of sense. Not only is Los Angeles an incredibly popular team in all capacities, but the addition of Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points per game in the regular season, is massive. With both Reaves and James on the floor together in 2025-26, the Lakers posted a 119.2 offensive rating and outscored opponents by 5.2 points per 100 possessions. 75% of the bets are coming in on the Lakers’ moneyline odds, while even 65% of the bets are backing the team as 4.5-point home favorites.

However, it’s probably worth remembering that Houston opened as huge favorites in this series. It’s also worth noting that the Rockets have the better overall net rating over the four games played (+0.6) — and that figure’s only gotten better with Kevin Durant unavailable. Houston dominated Game 4 in what was eventually a 19-point win, and if not for a couple bone-headed plays in the final minute of Game 3, this series would be tied 2-2. I’m not sure things are as lopsided as the public’s adoration of the Lakers is making it seem.

I’m equally surprised by bettors’ overwhelming interest in the over on Wednesday, with 81% of the bets and 76% of the handle saying there will be at least 209 points scored. Yes, that’s a small total relative to the era we’re inhabiting, and the presence of Reaves will obviously help the Lakers’ offensive punch. Yet, a team has been held below 100 points in three of the four previous games. This series has the second-slowest pace of any in the first round of the playoffs (92.9). This has sort of been a rock fight.

Rockets vs. Lakers Game 5 Most Popular Player Props

Here are the top three most-bet player props for tonight’s game on the DraftKings Sportsbook:

1. LeBron James 25+ Points (+108)
2. LeBron James Double-Double, Yes (+108)
3. LeBron James Triple-Double, Yes (+820)

Breaking news: LeBron James is still one of the most-popular and notable men on planet Earth.

Understandably, with no Reaves and no Doncic, James has been asked to do a lot to begin this series. Through four games, he’s averaged 21.5 points, 8.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds in an eye-popping 39.0 minutes per contest. Again, for anyone unaware, this dude is 41-years-old. James has also been in possession of a 30.0% usage rate, which is easily the highest mark on the team. When you’re next-best option is Marcus Smart, that’s just kind of the way it has to be.

However, that’s where the presence of Reaves comes into play. Even if the guard’s opportunity is somewhat limited for conditioning purposes on Wednesday, he’s still going to be asked to shoulder a huge offensive burden. How much that takes away from James, or the team’s tertiary options, remains to be seen. During the regular season, James’ usage rate was 29.1% with Reaves off the floor and just 23.6% when the duo shared the court. That’s a pretty sizable drop off. Keep it in mind when hunting down props.