The Lakers have been at a low late, losing 5 straight, and on December 29 they will go to an away game against the Rockets. LeBron and Westbrook have to give their full strength this time, and the Lakers urgently need victory to stop the losing streak. The Rockets are not in a good situation either, with a wave of 4 consecutive defeats, and they hope to stop the decline at home.
LeBron tried his best in the last game, scoring 39 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, but still could not lead the team to win, they lost to the Nets 115-122. After 5 consecutive losses, the Lakers' winning percentage is less than 50%, which is very unfavorable, and the ranking in the standings has also declined. For the Lakers, the next game will not be easy, and continuous road trips will be difficult.
Davis will still be absent now, and the Lakers can only rely on LeBron to lead the team, so the pressure on both ends of the attack and defense is very large. The Lakers have lost in these games, but LeBron has not given up, and has scored high scores in every game, so he needs his teammates to stand up and help him as soon as possible.
Westbrook is of course another leader for the Lakers, and the situation now is that he has to step up and give LeBron more help. Westbrook and the Nets had a triple-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, which looked like the data was OK, but the shooting percentage was low, less than 20%. Wei Shao's low efficiency has affected the team as a whole, which is in urgent need of improvement. Playing against the Rockets has a different meaning, because Westbrook has also played on this team.
In addition to Westbrook and LeBron, the Lakers now desperately need more players to come forward, especially on the offensive end. Anthony, Munch and Ellington are all quality shooters with a steady three-point shooting percentage. Howard has to hold the inside line, which can also reduce the pressure on LeBron. Tucker is a bit depressed, and as a player that the team focuses on cultivating, he has to prove himself.
The Rockets just lost to the Hornets on the road, and the bad thing is that their current roster is not aligned, and they have the advantage at home to try to win the Lakers. At present, the Rockets have Tate, Martin, and Matthews entering the health protection program, which obviously affects the strength of the Rockets lineup.
Away to the Hornets, the Rockets' Porter and Green were all on the roster, but still didn't play. Maybe the Rockets are also intentional, they comeback at home, so that they have more vitality to impact the Lakers. Among them, Porter has performed well in the new season, averaging 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, and his performance on the offensive end is very important for the team. Green also averaged 14.3 points per game, which is an important point of firepower for the Rockets. Wood averaged a double-double of 17.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in the new season, and he had to work on the inside so that he could cause trouble for the Lakers. The Rockets' interior line also includes Theis and Shin Kyung, which is their dominant position and must be used well.
Expected starting lineups for both sides:
Lakers: Westbrook, Ellington, Tucker, LeBron, Howard
Rockets: Potter, Green, Nuwaba, Christopher, Wood