Los Angeles Lakers (43–25) vs. Rockets (41–26) | Game 69 of 82
WHERE TO WATCH AND WHAT TIME
Date: Wednesday, March 18
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
TV: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: ESPN LA 710 / 1330 KWKW
GAME PREVIEW
The Lakers (43–25) and Rockets (41–26) continue their mini playoff series in the second matchup in three days as the season inches closer to its final stretch.
Los Angeles pushed their win streak to six games on Monday in a gritty 100-92 win over Houston behind an executed fourth-quarter plan defensively by the Lakers and another 30-point night from Luka Dončić; He has scored over 30 points in their six-game win streak.
Dončić finished with 36 points (six rebounds, four assists) on 14 of 27 shooting while LeBron James had 17-5-5 on 54% (seven for 13) shooting.
Austin Reaves had a season-high four steals against Houston in large part due to their defensive shift around Kevin Durant. Doubling him and forcing it out of his hands in the fourth.
Reaves finished with 15 points but struggled to find his shot, finishing on 28% shooting (five of 18) from the floor.
The Lakers' dialed-down defense forced Durant to finish with two points and seven turnovers in the second half. He totaled seven turnovers on eight made shots and zero 3s, with 18 points in 37 total minutes.
Don’t expect the same result from Easy Money Sniper, who will look to be aggressive from tip-off.
The Rockets were without Alperen Şengün in the loss, but he’s expected to make his return after a two-game absence.
Tonight’s matchup marks the third and final regular-season meeting between the teams this season.
The Lakers are 20-13 on the road, while the Rockets are 23-9 at home.
WHY THIS GAME MATTERS
The Lakers remain No. 3 in the Western Conference standings at 43-25.
A win tonight extends their margin in the standings to two and a half games over Houston, who is right behind them at No. 4 in the West.
The margin for error, or losses, is small in the West, as just two games separate the seeds from No. 3 to No. 6.
WHAT TO AVOID
The Lakers were dominated on the offensive glass for the majority of the contest against the Rockets. Amen Thompson and Tari Eason had their way getting extra buckets and shot opportunities as they each finished with five offensive rebounds apiece.
The Rockets finished with 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 23 second-chance points.
Although the Lakers found a way to win down the stretch, they have to avoid the same mistake, as Durant is due for a big scoring night.
NOTABLE OPPONENT RANKS AMONG THE NBA
The Rockets' current ranking remains the same as before, outside of their 3P%, as a 19% outing against the Lakers dropped them four spots down:
10th (116.4) in offensive rating
8th (112.2) in defensive rating
Other rankings:
PTS — 21st (114.1)
FG% — 10th (47.4%)
REB — 1st. (48)
BLKS — 2nd (5.9)
3P% — 11th (36.2%)
STAT TO WATCH
LeBron James (1609 games) is currently two 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
Game 2 — Lakers 100-92 win at Houston on March 16
INJURY REPORT
Lakers:
Maxi Kleber (back strain): Out
Rockets:
Jae'Sean Tate (knee): Out
Steven Adams (left ankle surgery): Out for season
Fred VanVleet (torn ACL): Out for season
THREADS FOR THE GAME
The Lakers will wear their purple Statement Edition uniforms, while the Rockets will wear their white ‘H-Town’ Nike City Edition unis.
NEXT MATCHUP
The Lakers continue the next four on the road against Miami on Thursday for their third game in four days.
Then they head to Orlando, Detroit and then finally Indiana to end the six-game road trip.