Excluding a tiny sample of two games to start the 2021-22 season, the Houston Rockets (3-3) are currently at .500 or better for the first time since being 11-11 early in the 2020-21 season.
Their three-game winning streak, however, has had good scheduling fortune in the form of the lowly Charlotte Hornets and two games versus a Sacramento team missing All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox.
So, how real is Houston’s growth? Wednesday’s matchup versus LeBron James and the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers could put that to the test in front of a raucous home crowd at Toyota Center. As he’s done in the past for Memphis, Dillon Brooks appears quite happy to accept the assignment of defending James for the Rockets.
Some good news for the Rockets is that versatile forward Tari Eason, who earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors as a rookie, appears set to make his 2023-24 debut after missing the first six regular-season games with a stress reaction in his lower left leg.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, Nov. 8
- Time: 7 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (3-3)
- Guard: Fred VanVleet
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: Dillon Brooks
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
Los Angeles Lakers (3-4)
- Guard: D’Angelo Russell
- Guard: Austin Reaves
- Forward: Taurean Prince
- Forward: LeBron James
- Center: Anthony Davis
Projected lineups are based on each team’s latest game.
Injury reports
Houston’s Nov. 8 injury report lists Amen Thompson (right ankle sprain), and Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon repair) as out, while Tari Eason (left lower leg stress reaction) is probable.
Cam Whitmore, Jermaine Samuels Jr., and Nate Hinton are away from the Rockets and currently playing with Houston’s NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.
The Lakers will be without Jalen Hood-Schifino (right patella contusion), Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis), and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) on Wednesday night. Anthony Davis (left adductor/hip spasm) and Jaxson Hayes (left ankle sprain) are each questionable, while Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol) is probable.
Nov. 8 uniform choices
- Rockets: White City Edition
- Lakers: Purple Statement Edition
