Daily Debate: Are you concerned with the Lakers losing Game 1 to Houston?

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The biggest winner on Monday night wasn’t Houston, it was Vegas.

The Lakers, a prohibitive favorite to beat the Rockets in Round 2 of the NBA playoffs, were apparently picked by most fans to cover an 8-point spread in the series opener. Whoops.

Bookmakers had it backwards, as Houston won 100-92 in Los Angeles. That hands home-court advantage to the Rockets and leaves Laker fans wondering if they should be concerned. Here’s why, and why not ...

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID

You thought Houston was just happy to be here? The Rockets sure aren’t playing that way. After a first-round upset over Portland -- a team that gave the Lakers trouble this season -- they came into the Staples Center and stole home-court advantage. The Lakers showed no sense of urgency, but maybe some overconfidence.

Vegas may still favor L.A., but history does not. Since Kobe Bryant came to town in 1996, the Lakers have lost the opening game of a playoff series 11 times. They’ve only recovered to win two of those series.

Houston has apparently figured things out since losing one of their stars, Tracy McGrady, to a season-ending injury. During the year they went 0-for-4 against the Lakers and were dominated in the fourth quarter, outscored by an average of 12 points in the last 12 minutes. This time, Houston won the final period by a 30-25 margin.

While the Lakers have more talent, the Rockets are creating match-up problems. Yao Ming showed the smaller Andrew Bynum why he’s a perennial All Star. Ming’s stature -- we’re talking notoriety here -- will help him get calls. You couldn’t have missed Bynum picking up two fouls in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the game.

Then there’s that little matter of Bryant, who was forced to the perimeter by Ron Artest and Shane Battier and missed 17 of his 31 shots. He managed just five free throws all night.

This is a defensive Houston team that will play tough and can prevent the dynamic Los Angeles offense from making big runs. That’s going to be compounded by recurring health concerns with key Lakers. Kobe was still suffering flu-like symptoms at the start of the game, Bynum is barely in midseason (much less playoff) form, and Luke Walton is still out with an injured left ankle.

WHAT, ME WORRY?

Houston just threw a rock at a yellow (and purple) hornet’s nest. With the Lakers embarrassed in their own house, they’re sure to develop a sense of urgency and play out the rest of the playoffs with the knowledge that they can be beat -- so they have to play tough.

Bryant, meanwhile, is likely to go on the warpath after an expected loss to LeBron James in the MVP ballot turned into an unexpected blowout. Now Bryant has something to prove, and nothing left to win but the most important piece of hardware in the sport.

Game 1 against the Rockets started off rusty and didn’t get much better. Houston had the advantage of a more traditional rest period, and the Lakers will be able to combine improved rhythm with gradually improving health in subsequent games. If they don’t feel better, they’ll just have to fall back on the deepest bench in the NBA.

Los Angeles showed decent defense on Monday night, and most analysts are acknowledging that their offense will look better come Wednesday. As coaches and players said after the game, they certainly can’t play any worse.

Home-court advantage will be easy to reclaim. The Lakers swept the Rockets in Houston during the regular season and can take it back in Game 3.

Over the next few games, the Lakers’ superior talent and high-powered offense will be too much to stop. Houston just can’t match the output. Monday night against the Rockets was a blip on the radar.

-- Adam Rose

Top photo: Houston’s Shane Battier strips the ball from Kobe Bryant. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times