As their six-game road trip continues, the Lakers (24-23) are in Houston to matchup with the Rockets (21-24) on Monday evening. The game tips at 5:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet.
Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup:
HISTORIC LEBRON, AGAIN
The Lakers beat the Warriors in an instant classic of a game on Saturday night, a double overtime affair that brought out the best in both teams -- but mainly both LeBron James and Steph Curry. Those two offered another duel for the ages, which fits right into a career in which both have gone head-to-head so many times in both the regular season and the playoffs.
For LeBron, however, this game was one that will also go into the history books as he set a career high with 20 rebounds (19 on the defensive end) while also scoring 36 points and dishing out 12 assists. LeBron became the oldest player ever with a 30-point, 20-rebound triple double, and just the third Laker ever to score at least 35 points, grab 20 rebounds, and tally 10 assists in a game joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elgin Baylor (who did it three times).
LeBron also had the game-sealing points when he buried a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds of the second overtime after willing his way to the basket on a drive to draw a foul after playing 48 minutes. Just another day at the office for one of the greatest to ever do it.
LeBron James Game Highlights 01-27-24
OLD LINEUP SHOWS ITS WORTH
Over the course of the past two seasons, trades, injuries and general player availability have made lineup consistency a difficult nut to crack. This season, finding that lineup continuity has proven particularly challenging due to the on-again, off-again injuries of several role players who would slot into LeBron and Anthony Davis.
One such group is the lineup that closed at the regular season and went into the playoffs as the starting five, with D'Angleo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Jarred Vanderbilt flanking LeBron and AD. Heading into Saturday's game vs. the Warriors, that lineup had played just 11 minutes together all season and were a total of +9 in those shifts.
Against the Warriors on Saturday, however, that group played 19 minutes in that single game alone and posted a +14 during their shared court time. That lineup closed out the 2nd quarter with a nice run that allowed the Lakers to take a five-point lead into halftime and then was critical in helping the Lakers come back from their rough start to the 3rd quarter, and then ultimately fend off Golden State through the end of regulation and both overtimes.
After the game, Jarred Vanderbilt spoke about his comfort level playing with that group and their chemistry that carries forward from last season.
“I mean obviously those are the guys that I have played the most with since I have been you know in my Laker tenure so I think we do have a level of chemistry you know us being able to – we started a lot of games together you know last year," Vanderbilt said. "We have played a lot of minutes together so obviously I think it’s a level of just experience together and comfortability you know and we kinda play off each other. We know each other's spots and we work well together.”
Coach Ham commented after the game that this is a group he feels good going to and that it's a great lineup to have in his "back pocket", and against the Warriors, just as they have in a limited sample to date this season, they showed exactly how true that is.
GUARDING AGAINST A LETDOWN
While the Lakers were riding a high and strong wave of emotions after their win in San Francisco, that is just a single game and the first in a string of six on the road in all. Heading into Houston, then, the Lakers must brace themselves for the comedown that naturally comes from that sort of game in which the spotlight and the stakes can feel bigger than a normal regular season game.
The Rockets offer many challenges as an opponent, particular at home where they are 16-8 on the season. The Rockets are one of the better defensive teams in the league and do a good job of challenging shooters to make shots and limiting the number of shots opponents take in the restricted area (23.3 field goal attempts, 3rd fewest in the NBA). As a tradeoff, the Rockets defense skews towards opponents taking three-pointers (8th most attempts allowed), but opponents hit those at the 3rd lowest rate in the NBA (34.4%).
For a Lakers offense that has been playing well of late, the Rockets will present hurdles to overcome, and it will be important for the Lakers to work hard to dictate the terms of engagement on that side of the ball. They cannot allow themselves to settle for semi-contested threes, but instead work to establish the paint offensively and work inside out rather than the opposite.
LeBron and AD will be critical figures in that attack, whether out of the post, off the dribble, or as divers out of the pick-and-roll. The Lakers shooters can also help here by driving closeouts when appropriate and turning down okay looks in order to try to get good or great ones.
On the other end of the floor, the Lakers will need to contend with Alperen Sengun inside and the combination of Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks on the outside. Houston's offense has not been as strong after an early season hot start (they've dipped to 21st on the season after ranking 8th in November), but they have enough firepower to get hot, particularly from the outside -- which can only make Sengun more dangerous playing in the post.
Keeping their defensive intensity high and understanding where and how much to help will be critical to keep the Rockets from getting into a rhythm on that side of the ball.