The Lakers are back home where they will take on the visiting Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. This is the first matchup between both teams this season, who are both currently on a two-game losing streak.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
When: 5 p.m. PT, Dec. 25
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: ABC, ESPN
The Lakers are in a slump.
Not only did they lose back-to-back games for the first time this season but did so by being blown out by Pacific Division counterparts twice in a row. Unfortunately,
it happened right before the holidays.
But that’s the NBA season for you. A team goes through ups and downs throughout the regular season and it’ll be up to the Lakers to figure out how to deal with the adversity. Los Angeles has been dealing with injuries and because of it, there have been consistent changes to their starting lineup and rotations all season. That’s one of the biggest reasons why they currently find themselves in this slump.
The good news is that Dončić looks set to return to the court on Thursday, as reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
With or without Dončić, the purple and gold will still be in for a challenge as the Rockets look to play Grinch for the Lakers on Christmas Day. They may be 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they’re built well enough to expose the Lakers’ weaknesses, especially on the defensive end.
Houston leads the league in paint touches per game (29.8) so LA’s rim protection — which has been abysmal over the last two games — needs to be prepared. The Rockets have enough size and 3-and-D players to make things hard for the Lakers. They own the league’s second-best offense and sixth-best defense. They have a variety of options on offense: Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., among others.
Where the Rockets have significantly struggled, though is in the clutch, which ironically is the opposite for the Lakers. Houston has played 85 clutch minutes this year, which ranks third in the NBA. They have a jarring 6-8 record in those games. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 10-0 in clutch games this season, making them one of the league’s top-performing teams.
Perhaps it won’t be that bad of an idea for the Lakers to keep the game close until crunch time. The preferred outcome is obviously a blowout win but it’s hard to predict what the Lakers have up their sleeves for Christmas given the team’s current state. Hopefully, though, they add more excitement and joy for us this holiday season with a win against the Rockets on Thursday.
Notes and Updates
- Before we get to the injury report, here’s a fun fact about the Lakers on Christmas Day: They have a record of 25-26 all-time. They are 14-14 at home and 11-12 on the road. The Lakers are 4-6 in their last 10 Christmas Day games.
- This game will also mark LeBron James’ 20th Christmas Day appearance. He has an 11-9 record in these games and, to nobody’s surprise, is the all-time leading points (500) on this day.
- For the Lakers injury report, Rui Hachimura (right groin) has been upgraded to probable. Luka is officially listed as questionable. Jaxson Hayes (left ankle soreness) is also questionable while Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) is out.
- As for the Rockets, Dorian Finney-Smith, who has not played yet this season, is questionable for the game, the first time he’s been listed as anything other than out.
- Alperen Sengun (left calf tightness) is questionable, as is Jae’Sean Tate (left wrist contusion). Fred VanVleet is out for the season after tearing his ACL.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
