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 season of James Harden and the Houston Rockets last September, winning 4-1 in a best-of-seven series in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Rockets have changed significantly in the months since, 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 league’s best? That’s what the Rockets will get to measure on Sunday and Tuesday, when the Lakers visit Houston for a pair of games.
The Rockets (3-4) are several games off the pace of the Lakers (7-3) to start the new 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) available, the Rockets feel they’re better than that initial record — and the 42-point home romp over Orlando on Friday night could offer evidence of that. The Lakers, however, will bring a much stronger test when they visit Toyota Center.
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Following Saturday’s team practice, here’s what the Rockets had to say about their upcoming matchups versus the Lakers.
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