LeBron James and company are heading to Houston to start a long road trip, possibly without Anthony Davis. The Lakers are coming off a disappointing loss but James Harden has been ice cold as of late.

HOME TEAM: Houston Rockets (18-22, 14-5 at home)

The Houston Rockets have lost three of their last four games. Each defeat has also been one-sided as it came in double-digits and the last two were against teams with a losing record.

Unlike his scoring, James Harden’s shooting is on-and-off – and it’s been very off in his last five games. Though averaging 28.8 PPG in that stretch, he’s shooting a woeful 27.7% from three (18-for-65) and 32.5% overall.

Russell Westbrook has upped his game and production in the past week and it has somehow kept Rockets from being in worse shape. Brodie has three-straight games with 30 or more points and he has shot 49.3% in that span. Big man Clint Capela is also coming up huge as he’s been putting up 18 points and 16.2 boards on 60.2% shooting this month.

ROAD TEAM: Los Angeles Lakers (33-8, 17-3 on the road)

The Los Angeles Lakers had their nine-game winning snapped on Thursday after losing to the visiting Orlando Magic, 119-118. They got victimized by Markelle Fultz’s triple-double performance and also allowed the Magic to go 11-for-18 (61.1%) in the fourth quarter.

LeBron James had 19 points and matched a career-high 19 assists but only went 7-for-19 from the floor. He also missed a game-tying three-pointer during the game’s final seconds.

The Lakers are hoping LeBron would be able to shoot and score better as Anthony Davis is still considered day-to-day from a back injury. One of the team’s floor generals, Rajon Rondo, has missed the last two games and is also deemed questionable for tomorrow.

Kyle Kuzma will remain as the best secondary option for the Lake Show. He should look to find his rhythm from last week (scored 26 and 36 points on a back-to-back) as he is only a combined 7-for-23 for 15 points in his last two games.

PREDICTION:

The Rockets win, 116-112, courtesy of Harden getting his groove back following a two-day rest. The current slump may have been due to playing five games in seven nights. Harden, Westbrook, and Capela should be able to take advantage of Davis’s likely absence in the paint.