Led by future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers are the defending NBA champions — which makes them the league’s gold standard entering the 2020-21 season.
They’re also the team that ended the 2019-20 season for James Harden and the Houston Rockets last September, winning 4-1 in a best-of-seven series during the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Should James and Davis play on Sunday, there’s no shortage of juicy storylines for the first rematch since. The question is whether they will.
James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (both left ankle sprains), and Davis (right adductor strain) are all listed as questionable to play for Sunday (injury reports), with their statuses unlikely to be clarified until closer to the 6:00 p.m. Central tipoff. James played in a 117-115 victory over Chicago on Friday, while Davis and Caldwell-Pope each sat out.
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The Rockets have changed significantly since the last time they saw the Lakers, headlined by John Wall and Christian Wood replacing Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington in the starting lineup. But is that enough to compete with the champs? Depending on the health of the two All-Star forwards, that’s what the Rockets may get to measure in consecutive games against the Lakers on Sunday and Tuesday.
The Rockets (3-4) are several games off the pace of Los Angeles (7-3) so far this season, though Houston has been ravaged by injuries and quarantines in its losses. Now, with nearly the entire roster except for Danuel House Jr. (back spasms) and perhaps Ben McLemore (right ankle sprain) available, the Rockets feel they’re better than that record — and the 42-point romp over Orlando on Friday could offer evidence of that.
Here’s when you should tune in to see Sunday’s game:
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 10
- Time: 6 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV in usual Houston markets (watch for free)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets
- Guard: James Harden
- Guard: John Wall
- Forward: David Nwaba
- Forward: PJ Tucker
- Center: Christian Wood
Los Angeles Lakers
- Guard: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (questionable)
- Guard: Dennis Schröder
- Forward: LeBron James (questionable)
- Forward: Anthony Davis (questionable)
- Center: Marc Gasol
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In Harden’s last three games, he’s averaged just 17 points — less than half of his per-game mark in each of the last two seasons. For the NBA’s three-time defending scoring champion, that’s an unsustainably low figure, and the Rockets will probably need Harden’s dominance as a scorer to have a shot against the defending champs (if they’re healthy).
Given his competitive nature, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Harden embrace that challenge and come out aggressive in a big game.
James Harden on the Lakers game:
It’s always exciting to play against one of the best teams in this league. Just gotta come out and be ready to play.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) January 9, 2021
James Harden: "We have a lot of work to do. I think every team feels that way but for us, we're behind because we haven't had our entire team or an opportunity to work together very often. As long as we continue to find chemistry … we have a chance to do something special."
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 9, 2021
Houston coach Stephen Silas said Saturday that he had closely studied what the Lakers did defensively versus Harden in the 2020 playoffs, specifically in terms of late traps. Sunday’s game could offer Silas the chance to show adjustments, which Mike D’Antoni seemingly lacked. The presence of Wall to attack any four-on-three scenarios — and his superior shooting, relative to Westbrook — may also provide better floor balance.
Similarly, the move from Covington to Wood makes Houston much more diverse in the frontcourt, with far more playmaking potential. It might cost them defensively, especially early in the season, but the combination of Harden, Wall, and Wood should bring plenty of scoring punch. The biggest question as tipoff approaches is whether the Lakers will have the services of James and/or Davis to punish Houston on the other end.
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