Los Angeles Lakers (42–25) at Houston Rockets (41–25) | Game 68 of 82
WHERE TO WATCH AND WHAT TIME
Date: Monday, March 16
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
TV: Peacock, NBA Sports, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: ESPN LA 710 / 1330 KWKW
GAME PREVIEW
The Lakers are rolling with momentum entering Monday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets, looking to push their win streak to six games
Los Angeles is coming off the NBA’s best game of the year, which had rollercoaster moments in their win over the Nuggets on Saturday, where Luka Dončić hit a game-winning jumper in overtime.
The Lakers got to overtime after a heads-up play by Austin Reaves, tying the game after intentionally throwing it off the rim to get him a clean look to send it to OT.
Doncic had his second straight triple-double, finishing with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Reaves led all scorers with 32 points (seven rebounds, six assists)
Doncic continues to lead the charge offensively, averaging 32.8 points per game, which still leads the NBA.
The Lakers are on an important six-game road stretch, starting with two games in the next three days against the Rockets.
Tonight’s matchup marks the second meeting between the teams this season.
WHY THIS GAME MATTERS
With 14 games left in the regular season, the Lakers are currently No. 3 in the Western Conference standings.
A loss tonight against the Rockets would push them back to No. 4 and Houston back to No. 3. Only two games separate the No. 3 from the No. 6 seeds, which makes every game in the final regular season a must-win.
The Lakers have won eight of their last nine games with the second-rated offense (122.5) and sixth-rated defense (110.1) in that span.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK
The Rockets enter tonight’s game with a 41-25 record and currently sit No. 4 in the Western Conference.
They are coming off a weekend rest after a two-point win over the Pelicans on Friday.
A Kevin Durant-smothered jumper over Herb Jones gave the Rockets a one-point lead with 7.6 seconds left. Durant finished with a team-high 32 points.
In year 18, Durant leads the Rockets in scoring at 26 points per game while starting center Alperen Şengün leads the team with 6.1 assists.
Şengün comes into this contest questionable after missing the previous two games. He is second on the team in scoring at 20.2 per contest.
NOTABLE OPPONENT RANKS AMONG THE NBA
The Rockets currently rank:
10th (116.4) in offensive rating
8th (112.2) in defensive rating
Other rankings:
PTS — 21st (114.1)
FG% — 10th (47.4%)
3P% — 7th (36.4%)
REBS— 1st (15.2)
BLKS — 2nd (5.9)
WHAT TO AVOID
The Lakers need to avoid losing a big lead.
Against the Nuggets, the Lakers surrendered a 17-point lead to Denver behind a bad third-quarter loss where they were outscored 37-26.
L.A. must keep its foot on the gas against a good team in Houston if they have a sizable lead.
STAT TO WATCH
LeBron James (1608 games) is currently three games away from tying Robert Parish (1611 games) for the most games played in NBA history and four games from breaking it.
SEASON SERIES
Game 1 — Lakers 119-96 loss vs. Houston on Dec. 25
INJURY REPORT
Lakers:
Maxi Kleber (back strain): Out
Rockets:
Jae'Sean Tate (knee): Out
Alperen Sengun (back): Questionable
Steven Adams (left ankle surgery): Out for season
Fred VanVleet (torn ACL): Out for season
THREADS FOR THE GAME
The Lakers will wear their gold uniforms, while the Rockets will wear their red Icon Edition uniforms.
NEXT MATCHUP
After their two road games in Houston, the Lakers play the next four on the road against Miami, Orlando, Detroit and then finally Indiana to end the six-game road trip.