Rockets face a gritty Lakers squad. Expect paint battles, foul calls, and high-stakes matchups with playoff implications.
Recent losses in San Antonio and Denver were doubly disappointing, as they were both more impactful than just your typical bad game. On top of getting blown out, those games were also Houston’s last chance to tie the season series against those conference competitors. I previously discussed the importance of these games here on Roundtable.
The loss to San Antonio last week was honestly a solid representation of how the season has felt for each team this year. The Spurs have been blazing hot, taking the league by storm after having a healthy Wemby for a majority of the season. Role players across their roster were making plays all night, while the team shot 21/40 from deep. This lead to a disappointing 120-145 blowout.
On Houston’s side of things, they only made 8/28 threes. That’s a 39 point difference from the three point line alone. Things got even worse against the Nuggets, making a season low 12.1-percent from three on only 4/33 shooting. Sometimes it’s just really simple math, as Denver made 17/32 from beyond the arc. Coincidentally, the exact same 39 point difference from distance.
This has been a problem plaguing this Rockets roster all season long. While they still rank 7th in the league when it comes to three point percentage (36.4), NBA Team Stats shows them taking the second lowest number of threes per game. Their number of made threes per game isn't much better, only draining 11.2 on average. This is the fourth lowest in the league, tied with New Orleans.
These upcoming games against the Lakers might be an eyesore for fans of three point shooting, as they’re not much better than Houston. They take and make the 7th and 8th lowest number of long balls per game, but are actually a middle of the pack team in terms of percentages. Tied with the Warriors at 35.8-percent.
Expect way more points to come in the paint for these teams, as Houston scores the fifth most per game, with LA close behind with the tenth most points in the paint per game. The Lakers numbers would probably be higher, but they also are tied with the third most free throw attempts on a nightly basis. This shouldn't surprise anyone though, as the Lakers, Luka, LeBron, and even Austin Reaves are known to get a lot of whistles.
With Luka averaging 37.33 points, 10.67 rebounds, and 11.0 assists through their last three games, Amen Thompson and company have a tough task on their hands. It should be a playoff level atmosphere with serious playoff implications on Monday and Wednesday night in Houston. Stay tuned to see if Alperen Şengün and LeBron James will return to action.