Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers game preview

The Houston Rockets complete their odd 2-game set at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight.

There was a lot for Houston to learn from the first matchup on Sunday night. The defense was solid in the second half and the team was able to force the Lakers to play their starters full minutes. However, it’s hard to win games when you cough the ball over 27 times. That’s going to be an issue throughout the season with such a young backcourt. Missed free throws (14 of them to be exact) are also an expected bugaboo. Honestly, it was impressive that Houston got to the line 29 times to LA’s 13.

I don’t expect the Lakers to shoot as poorly in tonight’s game. I also hope the Rockets come out with some confidence. Putting yourself behind the 8 ball isn’t a recipe for success. Those fourth quarter runs are nice, but they don’t usually lead to wins.

Obviously, tonight’s game will play second fiddle for fans of other Houston teams. The Astros game starts earlier in the evening and is of slightly greater importance in baseball.

Tip-off is at 9:30pm CT on AT&T SportsNet Southwest