Rockets vs. Lakers Pre-Game 1/16/23

Rockets Visit Lakers in Finale of West Coast Road-Trip

Part 2 in LA.    Aging King.    End of the Road.

The Rockets close their road-trip with a meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers on Monday night. It’s the first matchup between Houston and the Lake Show this season. Both teams played yesterday, with the Lakers losing a nail biter at home to the Philadelphia 76ers. Houston suffered a blowout loss at the hands of the Lakers’ roomates, the Clippers. The Rockets are riding a ten-game losing streak. The Lakers have lost three straight, after running off five straight wins. Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate will return from their suspensions tonight. Kevin Porter Jr. is still out with a left knee injury. For Los Angeles, they’ve been without Anthony Davis for a few weeks, and he’ll remain out tonight. Russell Westbrook is now coming off the bench for the Lakers, as they’re desperately trying to dust-off a poor start to their season, given the expectations. The Lakers are currently 19-24, but given the parity in the Western Conference this season, L.A. finds themselves only two games out of the final play-in spot.

Even at age 38, LeBron James is still one of the best players on the planet, and the one of the smartest basketball players on the floor. Aging hasn’t stopped him (yet) from being a force in transition. The Rockets will need to play their best transition defense of the season if they want a chance to upset the Lakers tonight. And that’s asking a lot, considering Houston’s transition defense has been the worst in the league. Hopefully, Sengun sees more minutes against a Lakers team that is weak in the frontcourt without Davis in the lineup.

This is the final game of what has been a miserable road-trip for the Rockets. They’re 0-3 on the trip, with second-half collapses coming in all three games. Houston aims to put four quarters together tonight. They should get a boost with the return of Green and Tate. Hopefully, Daishen Nix doesn’t see 36 minutes of playing time, and the Rockets can have a more efficient performance overall. Houston usually plays well against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Maybe the dimmed lights of the arena formerly known as “Staples Center” will influence Rockets to staple their minds to the game plan… and close this road trip by ending the skid.

 

Crypto.com Arena:  Los Angeles, California

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (10-33):  White

Los Angeles Lakers (19-24):  Yellow

 

Tip-Off:  9:30 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA TV