Houston Rockets (19-29) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (24-24)
Wednesday, February 8, 8:30 p.m.
Toyota Center
vs.
Quote:
The Rockets will be looking for their fifth straight win Wednesday night when they host the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Houston (19-29) is currently playing its best basketball of the season and is coming off an 87-81 win Monday night in Philadelphia. Los Angeles (24-23) plays Tuesday in Dallas before heading to Houston.
The Lakers have lost four of five heading into Tuesday’s game with the Mavericks. Lamar Odom has been out recently suffering from sprained rib cartilage and will be questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Rockets.
That’s good news for Houston as Odom is clearly L.A.’s second scoring option behind the NBA’s best, Kobe Bryant. Odom leads the Lakers in rebounds and assists and is a triple-double waiting to happen every night. Still, Bryant’s star power is bright enough to illuminate an L.A. win even with Odom out of the lineup. With Bryant at Toyota Center Wednesday, 60 percent of the Western Conference starting lineup for the All-Star Game will be in action as Bryant, Yao Ming, and Tracy McGrady were all elected to start the game to be held in Houston on Feb. 19.
Wednesday will be the second of three meetings between these two teams this season. Houston defeated Los Angeles 76-74 Dec. 18 at Staples Center.
A driving lay-up by McGrady with .3 seconds left on the clock iced a game in which the Rockets were without Yao, Rafer Alston, Jon Barry, and Derek Anderson.
Yao and Alston will be in action Wednesday, and both are coming off outstanding efforts against the Sixers Monday. Alston played the best game of his Houston career, and Yao led the Rockets down the stretch with eight of his 27 points coming in the fourth quarter Monday. Barry and Anderson will also be game-time decisions.
Houston’s defense was suffocating Monday as they held the Sixers without a made shot from the field for over 15 minutes in the second half. The Rockets will need a repeat performance Wednesday as the NBA’s leading scorer heads to Houston in the person of Bryant, who pours in over 35 points a contest.
The Rockets were able to limit Bryant to 24 points in the game at Staples Center, but Bryant has been in a zone as of late and averaged over 40 points a game in January. Don’t look for Los Angeles to repeat their 74-point showing from December Wednesday as they rank among the league’s best, scoring 98.6 points a contest.
Houston was able to limit the Lakers to a 35 percent shooting effort at Staples Center, but considering the Lakers average 44 percent a game, that too was probably a statistical anomaly last time out.
Houston is on a roll, however, and enters Wednesday winners of four out of their last five games with Yao in the lineup and has three straight home games on the horizon as Houston slowly pulls itself back into the Western Conference playoff race.
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I wish I could see this game......F*** you, ESPN Deportes!
(showing ORL vs MIL, instead
)
....Anyway, should be a win, although we're playing at home.