The Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets, on Thursday at Orlando.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Lakers, as they are coming off a rough loss against the Thunder on Wednesday, where they trailed for nearly the entire contest and could not get it together offensively. The Lakers shot 35 percent from the field, including 5-of-37 from long range in the loss, while LeBron James led the way with 19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Dion Waiters added 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, off the bench, while Anthony Davis was quiet, with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists, in 29 minutes. The loss moved the Lakers to 2-2 since the restart, however, they have already clinched the top spot in the West. The Lakers have been a great team this season largely because of their defense, which although could not save them on Wednesday night, is still one of the best in the league, as they hold opponents to an average of 106.8 points per game, which is second fewest in the league.

Meanwhile, the Rockets are also coming off a tough loss, where they trailed for almost the entire contest and shot poorly from the field. James Harden was the high-point man in the loss, with 23 points, while Jeff Green followed up with 22 points and six rebounds, off the bench. Russell Westbrook finished with 15 points, three rebounds, nine assists and two steals, while the team shot 39 percent from the field, including 19-of-53 from long range. The Rockets are 2-1 in the bubble, so far, and will need to get back on track as soon as possible, before they slip in the crowded western conference standings, where they sit in fifth place, just 2.5 games ahead of seventh. The Rockets average 118.4 points per game, which is second most in the league. They average a league-high 44.7 three-pointers attempted per game and hit an average of 34.9 percent of them, which is eighth worst in the league.