Lakers Vs. Rockets Preview: Who Gets The Tie-breaker?

The streaking Lakers (43-25) will be back in Toyota Center on Wednesday when they will take on the Houston Rockets (41-26) again. This is the last matchup between the teams with the tiebreaker currently split at one game apiece.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets

When: 6:30 p.m. PT, Mar 18

Where: Toyota Center

Watch: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet

The Lakers nabbed a huge win on Monday against the Rockets, which sets up an exciting rematch. It may have been an ugly victory but it was one they needed in order to get the chance to claim the season series.

The tiebreaker could play a huge role, especially for these two teams, because they’re currently two games apart in the competitive Western Conference standings. Remember, if the Lakers and Rockets end up having the same record at the end of the season — which is in the realm of possibility — then the team that won the season series, the first tiebreaker, gets the higher seeding.

So yes, this game is yet another crucial one for the Lakers, who have been rising to the occasion as of late. Not only will the Rockets look to take revenge for Monday’s loss, but it’s hard to defeat a competitive team twice in a row. So L.A. will most likely see a more aggressive Rockets team, prepared with adjustments.

The key for the Lakers is to once again make sure that they don’t get dominated inside the paint. On Monday, LA did a slightly better job of matching the Rockets’ production in the paint (56-48). They still lost the rebounding battle (44-32) by a lot, but the Lakers bounced back in transition where they outscored the Rockets 16-4.

Obviously, Luka Dončić’s superb 36-point performance led the way, but so did the team’s overall effort on both ends of the floor. The Lakers may have shot poorly, but they grinded out a victory thanks to their defense as well. Blitzing Kevin Durant and forcing him to be a playmaker down the stretch was a brilliant strategy by head coach JJ Redick as it was what led to the Rockets just scoring a total of four points in the last six minutes of the game.

There’s no doubt that KD and the Rockets will be better, especially since Alperen Şengün — who is no longer listed on the injury report — suits up for this one. The Lakers will have to be prepared. Hopefully their shots fall this time and they once again out-execute the Rockets. It’s going to be tough to win this one but not impossible, especially given that the Lakers are playing very good basketball right now.

Let’s see if the purple and gold leave Houston with the tie-breaker advantage on Wednesday.

Notes and Updates

• Aside from containing KD — who scored just two points in the second half — the Lakers’ defense also limited Jabari Smith, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard offensively.
• For the Lakers’ injury report, Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) is out.
• As for the Rockets, Steven Adams (left ankle surgery), Jae’Sean Tate (right knee sprain) and Fred VanVleet (ACL repair) are out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.