Houston was a trendy pick to contend in the West after making a run to the conference finals last season. Wins in five of six games started to turn around a rough start to the year and three winnable games on this road trip were going to show the Rockets were back. Instead it’s down to one must-win contest to avoid an oh-fer following losses in Denver and Sacramento. Houston blasted the Lakers just five days ago, 126-97.
LETDOWN
The Rockets are a mess. They dropped their third game of the season to the Denver Nuggets, who are not a very good team, and followed that with a loss in Sacramento on Tuesday. The Kings also are not a very good team. Can they lose the trifecta when they visit the Lakers on Thursday? Coming off a trip to the Western Conference finals last season, the Rockets are 12-14, have already fired coach Kevin McHale and look lost in most areas. Now come reports that Dwight Howard is unhappy and that the team could look to move him. According to the reports, Howard is upset playing second fiddle to James Harden, which is a little surprising since the two have played together and been successful for the past three seasons. Now all of a sudden Howard doesn’t like being the sidekick. With the Rockets underachieving more than any NBA team, look for them to try to move Howard if things don’t turnaround.
INJURIES
After missing two games with an ankle injury, Lakers’ guard Jordan Clarkson returned to the lineup Tuesday in the team’s win over Milwaukee. He played nearly 33 minutes and contributed 12 points, six rebounds and three steals.
KEY MATCHUP
Kobe Bryant’s pending retirement is for the best. Father Time cannot be defeated, and the five-time NBA champion isn’t nearly the player he once was. But Kobe is proving he still has game. The first part of the season saw him put up embarrassing numbers, like his 1-of-14 performance against Golden State on Nov. 24. But lately the fading superstar is showing there’s still something left in the tank after all. During a loss at Toronto last week he put up 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Saturday at Houston he scored 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting with seven boards, six assists and three steals. Then Tuesday in a blowout win over Milwaukee, Kobe dropped 22 and dished out six assists while sitting out the fourth quarter. We’re seeing a “less is more” benefit, with reduced minutes, fewer shot attempts and increased efficiency. Kobe’s feeling better, too. “I feel pretty good. I feel like my legs are finally starting to catch up,” he said. Somehow, a player who looked completely cooked a few weeks ago, has dipped into the fountain of youth.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
The Lakers have some pieces and should be better than their 3-21 start. They had a rare laugher Tuesday, knocking off the Bucks by 18 points for just their fourth win and held their biggest lead at any point this NBA season when they ran the margin to 22. It’s an encouraging sign against the team that handed Golden State its first loss of the season in its last game. But LA still has a lot of work to do and moving D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle out of the starting lineup is one of many puzzling moves by coach Byron Scott. Bryant has shown flashes of his old self over the past week, playing fewer minutes and being more efficient rather than launching ridiculous shots every time he touches the ball. The best scenario for LA is to have Kobe mentor the youngsters through their development. Somehow I doubt that’s going to happen and the Lakers will struggle the rest of the season. The Rockets are in disarray also, but in a better place than the Lakers.
Houston 111, Los Angeles 102
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