The Los Angeles Lakers are on the road for a quick two-game trip in Texas and first up is the streaking Houston Rockets.
Houston is currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference at 22-12 as head coach Ime Udoka leads an elite defense. The Rockets are coming off a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics at home though, so expect a team looking to bounce back.
L.A. is coming off a dominant win against the Atlanta Hawks, 119-102, granted it was not pretty. However, getting wins any way possible is all that matters in a highly competitive Western Conference.
Houston tends to get it done by association with seven players averaging double figures on the season. Their top scorer though is Jalen Green, who is averaging 19.6 points on 41% from the field and 31.9% from 3-point range.
Green tends to play well against the purple and gold, notably dropping 34 points in their last meeting on Jan. 29, 2024. The 22-year-old is a highly athletic guard and missing a player like Gabe Vincent hurts in this matchup. He is expected to miss a fourth straight game due to an oblique strain.
However, Max Christie should presumably get the nod to guard Green for the majority of the game. If Christie can disrupt the 6’4″ guard from establishing a rhythm early on, it would greatly benefit the Lakers’ chances of winning.
Same can be said for Fred VanVleet, who is not shy about getting his 3-point shots up. L.A. cannot let the veteran guard see a few jumpers go down and get into a shootout.
Moving onto the big man matchup, Anthony Davis has a chance to feast against Alperen Sengun, who is not a defensive presence. So getting Davis involved early and often is going to be vital. But, Udoka is going to make sure that life is difficult for the Lakers star.
Lastly, familiar foe Dillon Brooks is back to matchup against LeBron James. Brooks lives for these kinds of moments and he is going to try to get under James’ skin all game long.
The Lakers are going to be in a battle with a feisty young team and if they want to be a great team, L.A. needs to be able to beat the upper echelon in the conference.
Los Angeles Lakers (20-14) vs. Houston Rockets (22-12)
4:00 p.m. PT, Sunday, January 5, 2025
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Austin Reaves
SG: Max Christie
SF: LeBron James
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Dorian Finney-Smith, Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, Jaxon Hayes, Shake Milton
Projected Rockets Starting Lineup:
PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Dillon Brooks
PF: Amen Thompson
C: Alperen Sengun
Key Reserves: Cam Whitmore, Jeff Green, Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday
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