Here is what you need to know before the Lakers hit up Houston for a single-game road trip against the Rockets.
1)
The Lakers’ last game saw Lou Williams erupt once again, as the 10-year veteran went off for 38 points in 34 minutes during Monday’s loss to Utah. Williams sank four 3-pointers while also staying involved with other aspects of his game, notching six rebounds and seven assists.
2)
Williams has been volcanic in his last two games, having also dropped 40 on Memphis Saturday. Those 78 points in back-to-back contests puts him in rare air, as the last bench player to score at least 38 in consecutive games was former Rocket Calvin Murphy, who did so 36 years ago, per Elias Sports Bureau.
3)
The Lakers’ roster has been leveled by injuries, as D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Jose Calderon and Tarik Black all did not travel to Houston, while Larry Nance Jr. (right knee contusion) is questionable to play. This means the Lakers could be down five players who combine for 47.6 points, 19.0 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game, while Houston is at full health.
4)
The last time the Lakers faced the Rockets, they came away with a 120-114 victory to begin the Luke Walton era. Jordan Clarkson was the leader on Opening Night, scoring 25 points to push the Lakers to a late victory.
5)
The Rockets hit just seven 3-pointers in that season opener, but since then they are on a historic pace from deep. Houston has hit double-digit 3s in all 20 games since, shattering the previous NBA record of 16 straight.
6)
Thanks largely to this surplus of triples, the Rockets have no shortage of offense, scoring the NBA’s second-most points per game (111.1). Houston also unsurprisingly hits a league-high 13.9 3-pointers, shoots the third-best field goal percentage (46.5) and is 6-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 points.
7)
The key to all this success has been James Harden, who opened his MVP campaign by reaching 34 points and a career-high 17 assists against the Lakers on Opening Night. Houston’s offense begins and ends with the Los Angeles native, who leads the NBA in assists (11.6) in his first year at point guard, and still ranks fourth in scoring (28.7).
8)
Harden has received some additional firepower in the form of Sixth Man of the Year candidate Eric Gordon, who has put up a blistering 22.0 points on 50.7 percent shooting in his last five games. Gordon is averaging 17.1 points per game, which is second-best among bench players, behind only Williams (18.4).
9)
One area that the Rockets can use improvement is on defense. For this, they will need to supplement the efforts of Trevor Ariza, who is eighth in the NBA in steals (2.00). A former teammate of Luke Walton’s on the 2009 Lakers championship team, Ariza also provides shooting on the other side with the league’s eighth-most 3-pointers (2.8).
10)
Though he might be remembered by Lakers fans as the guy who was put on a poster by Kobe Bryant in his final season, Clint Capela has been a much-improved and important piece this year. The Switzerland native sports the NBA’s second-best field goal percentage (63.4) and sixth-most blocks (1.86). He is especially dangerous coming off the weak side, as he leads the league in scoring on cuts to the hoop (5.0).
Injury Report
Lakers: D’Angelo Russell (sore left knee), Nick Young (strained calf, right leg), Jose Calderon (right hamstring strain) and Tarik Black (sprained right ankle) are out. Larry Nance Jr. (right knee contusion) is questionable.
Rockets: Chinanu Onuaku is on D-League assignment.
Tip-off: 5 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes
Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW