Game 42: Houston Rockets At Los Angeles Lakers Preview

It was a tough one Houston Rockets fans.

I put myself on hiatus for a day in regard to the talking about the Rockets.

I was so appalled and frustrated at the piss-poor effort that this team gave after the 1st quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night that talking about it would only make it worse.

You saw it, I saw it — there’s was virtually no defense being played and we were clanking three-pointers that sounded worse than the startup of Henry Ford’s classic Model T’s.

It was bad and I won’t bring you down about what happened because we already know.

But they better get it right tonight and stomp a mud hole in the Lakers rears.

Even with the injuries that have affected our roster and theirs (see below), there’s no reason why the Rockets can’t get this one wrapped up early.

They beat them quite well back during their last meeting Dec. 17 where they reeled off a 107-87 win.

The Lakers are the proverbial doormat of the NBA, where mostly everybody gets a chance to stomp and wipe their feet clean.

Need a slump-buster? The Lakers are the cure-all for that!

But anyway, they just need to get it done!

So who’s leading the charge for the Lakers?

More from House of Houston

Kobe Bryant is the leading scorer (16.7 PPG), The assist man is D’Angelo Russell (3.4 APG) and the steals king is Jordan Clarkson (1.20 SPG). Julius Randle is the top board-getter (9.4 RPG) and Roy Hibbert is the top shot-blocker (1.60 BPG).

Let’s talk about what the Lakers do well.

The Lakers are headed for another lottery season so there’s not much that this team does well but here’s one thing:

They take care of the basketball. The Lakers are 7th in the league as far as turnover ratio with 12.8 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.

Injuries:

Patrick Beverley sprained his ankle late in their blowout loss to the Cavs this past Friday night. It look painful even from my vantage point while I was in attendance at the game. His status is questionable for tonight. As usual, Jason Terry will get the start at the point.

Dwight Howard strained his oblique muscle during the Cavs game as well. His status is questionable for tonight.

If you’ve been under a rock lately, Donatas Motiejunas‘ back issues have flared up again. Yep, another team member with a back issue! He has planned to sit out until he’s pain-free so no specific timeline has been set. This is such a setback to a guy that’s been working so hard to get back into a rhythm. There was no structural damage to the back itself so he may be back sooner than we think but he may not. We just have to cross our fingers for a speedy recovery. Montrezl Harrell will take his spot on the roster for the time being, he had been leading the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in scoring during his stint there (21.5 PPG).

Sam Dekker had back surgery back in November but the 2015 first-round pick seems to be edging closer to a return. He was seen shooting on the practice court for the first time since heading to the injured list. This is certainly a sign of good things to come.

Kobe Bryant (Achilles) and Brandon Bass (ankle) have both been battling getting past their respective injuries and they have missed time as a result. Both of their statuses are likely going to be questionable for tonight.

Sources: Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com and Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News.

Next: Is Patrick Beverley An Elite Shooter?

Three Things to Watch:

Kobe Bryant? vs. Trevor Ariza
James Harden vs. Lou Williams
How early will K.J. McDaniels and Montrezl Harrell get some playing time tonight?

Prediction:

105-90 in a Rockets’ win!

The Rockets are back on the road to take on the Lakers at STAPLES Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest/NBA TV and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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