Here is what you need to know before the Lakers take on the Houston Rockets.
1) Ed Davis continues to rank among the league leaders in field goal percentage. Davis has hit 62.9 percent of his shots, placing him behind only Brandan Wright (75.0), DeAndre Jordan (74.0) and Tyson Chandler (70.3).
2) Ronnie Price is averaging 1.5 steals per game, and has been efficient at getting them. Price’s 3.5 steal percentage* is tied with Larry Sanders for fourth-best in the NBA.
3) Nick Young pitched in 17 points during his season debut against Atlanta on Tuesday. Young looks to challenge for the NBA’s most bench points this season. Jamal Crawford currently leads the pack with 19.0 points in six games off the pine.
4) The Lakers have lost four in a row to Houston, dating back to Nov. 7, 2013. It is the Lakers’ second-longest losing streak in series history, next to the six consecutive losses during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons.
5) James Harden has struggled to find his shot this season, connecting on just 37.2 percent of his attempts, which ranks 123rd out of 127 qualified players. However, he is still sixth in the NBA in scoring (23.7 points per game), as he leads he league with 9.0 made free throws per game on 10.0 foul shots.
6) Dwight Howard is fifth in the NBA with 11.3 rebounds per game and third with a 92.7 defensive rating**. However, his strong season has been marred by a career-worst 46.2 free throw percentage (42-for-91). Howard has missed 49 shots at the foul line, more than nine NBA teams: Dallas (48), Portland (48), San Antonio (47), Cleveland (46), Brooklyn (45), New York (45), Phoenix (44), Golden State (43) and Boston (40).
7) The Rockets will be without Terrence Jones (left nerve inflammation), who has been a key part of their success. The power forward is averaging 14.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, while ranking behind only Klay Thompson in plus/minus*** ( +17.7). Jones also reached a double-double against the Lakers in the season opener with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
8) Houston (9-2) has been unbeatable this season when outrebounding its opponent (8-0) and scoring 100 points (6-0). The Lakers have won the rebounding battle three times and held their opponents to double figures twice this season.
9) The Rockets lead the league with a 94.3 defensive rating. Meanwhile, the Lakers are last in defensive rating at 114.9.
10) Houston is averaging 11.5 triples on 32.8 3-point attempts per game. If those numbers hold, they will both break NBA records.
*Steal percentage is an estimation of the percentage of opponent possessions that end in a steal by that player while he is on the floor.
**Defensive rating is an estimation of points allowed per 100 possessions.
***Plus/minus is a calculation of a team’s point differential when a player is on the floor compared to when he is not.