Houston Rockets (8-8, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (11-9, seventh in the Western Conference)
Los Angeles; Saturday, 10:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Houston will try to break its seven-game road losing streak when the Rockets face Los Angeles.
The Lakers are 8-6 in conference play. Los Angeles is ninth in the Western Conference scoring 112.8 points while shooting 48.9% from the field.
The Rockets have gone 7-7 against Western Conference opponents. Houston ranks last in the NBA scoring 11.3 fast break points per game.
The Lakers make 48.9% of their shots from the field this season, which is 4.5 percentage points higher than the Rockets have allowed to their opponents (44.4%). The Rockets average 110.9 points per game, 3.4 fewer than the 114.3 the Lakers give up.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Lakers won the last meeting 105-104 on Nov. 20. LeBron James scored 37 points to help lead the Lakers to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: D'Angelo Russell is scoring 17.6 points per game and averaging 3.5 rebounds for the Lakers. James is averaging 24.5 points and 7.2 rebounds over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.
Alperen Sengun is scoring 21.0 points per game and averaging 8.9 rebounds for the Rockets. Jalen Green is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 6-4, averaging 114.6 points, 45.2 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 7.2 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points per game.
Rockets: 5-5, averaging 111.4 points, 44.6 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 5.9 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.3 points.
INJURIES: Lakers: Jarred Vanderbilt: out (heel), Cam Reddish: out (groin), Gabe Vincent: out (knee), Rui Hachimura: out (nose), Jaxson Hayes: out (elbow).
Rockets: Victor Oladipo: out (knee), Jae'Sean Tate: day to day (knee), Fred VanVleet: day to day (thumb), Amen Thompson: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
