Game 45: Houston Rockets Vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview

The Houston Rockets are on the cusp of closing out this West Coast trip with some respectability.

After getting manhandled against the Golden State Warriors Wednesday, they nicely rebounded against the Phoenix Suns and were able to get feel-good win against a good team despite the challenges.

The challenges of not having Dwight Howard in the lineup.

He had sprained his ankle after coming down awkwardly after a rebound attempt with 3:31 left in the 1st quarter against the Suns.

He headed to the locker room and did not return.

As far as for Howard, he was in a walking boot but is out of it now.

My best guess is that he won’t be active tonight because we won’t need him to defeat the Lakers and that will give him plenty of time to rest up for the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday.

Howard says he’s feeling better according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen:

Howard on his ankle: “It feels a little better. We’ll see how it feels tmrw. My foot just twisted. I couldn't put any pressure on it."
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 24, 2015

So this may bode well for the Rockets later in the week.

His status is listed as questionable.

But the Rockets will now face their last opponent on this trip — the 12-32 Los Angeles Lakers.

And speaking of injuries, we won’t see Kobe Bryant as he is expected to be out for the season with a torn rotator cuff.

It’s tough to admit but this may be the beginning of the end for the Black Mumba, too many injuries in such a short span is demonstrating the wear-and-tear on his body over the nearly 20 seasons he has played.

Let’s talk about what the Lakers do well.

Nov 19, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward

Nick Young

(0) shoots the ball during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Lakers won 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

They take care of the basketball. The Lakers are currently 5th in the league in turnover ratio. Currently, only 11.9 percent of their possessions end up in a turnover.

They like the basketball in their hands too. The Lakers are currently 9th in the league in PACE. They average 97.2 possessions per game.

That’s about it — outside of Bryant and Nick Young, the rest of these guys would likely be role players on contending teams.

Their last meeting was Nov. 19 where Bryant, Young and Wesley Johnson went on a 12-1 run late in the game to beat the Rockets 98-92.

Nick Young leads the team in scoring averaging 14.5 PPG, Jordan Hill in rebounds averaging 8.0 per game, Jeremy Lin in assists at 4.5 per game, Ronnie Price in steals at 1.5 per game and Ed Davis in blocks with 1.2 per game.

Expect Young’s and Lin’s numbers in those categories to increase with the absence of Bryant.

Trevor Ariza will be tasked with guarding Johnson or Young which is their only semblance of offense without Bryant. If Johnson/Young gets shut down, then it will be a wrap for the Lakers as if it wasn’t already for them this season.

Will Josh Smith start? We may not have a choice with a lack of warm, experienced bodies to man the middle.

Kevin McHale might have to make that call just out of necessity.

I actually see this happening — he played quite well against the Suns on both ends of the floor. He’ll be battling against Ed Davis to which I’m sure he could handle.

The bench production should be high tonight and it will be interesting to see what those numbers will be.