Los Angeles faces Houston, seeks 4th straight road win
Los Angeles Lakers (33-8, first in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (26-14, fifth in the Western Conference)
Houston; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles will try to keep its three-game road win streak intact when the Lakers play Houston.
The Rockets are 15-10 against Western Conference opponents. Houston is 17-8 against opponents under .500.
The Lakers are 22-4 in conference play. Los Angeles averages 14.8 turnovers per game and is 19-2 when winning the turnover battle.
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: James Harden leads the Rockets scoring 37.2 points per game and averaging 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Russell Westbrook has averaged 19.6 points and totaled five rebounds while shooting 31.2 percent over the last 10 games for Houston.
LeBron James leads the Lakers averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers while scoring 25.4 points per game and shooting 34.6 percent from beyond the arc. Dwight Howard is shooting 73.8 percent and has averaged 10.7 points over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 5-5, averaging 114.2 points, 48 rebounds, 21.5 assists, six steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.8 points on 44.7 percent shooting.
Lakers: 9-1, averaging 119.9 points, 46.9 rebounds, 27 assists, eight steals and 7.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.3 points on 43.4 percent shooting.
INJURIES: Rockets: Gerald Green: out (left foot), Nene: out (abductor).
Lakers: DeMarcus Cousins: out (knee), Rajon Rondo: day to day (finger), Anthony Davis: day to day (gluteus maximus), Alex Caruso: day to day (concussion).
