Houston Rockets Game 27 of 2015-16 Season vs Lakers

Houston Rockets Game 27 of 2015-16  found H-Town happily facing the lack luster Los Angeles Lakers.

Continuing SCS series of all 82 games from last season next up is the Houston Rockets Game 27 of 2015-16 versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

December 17, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) shoots a basket against Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets added draft picks and signed free agents to improve upon an especially mediocre 41-41 campaign. Big man Dwight Howard left for Atlanta while free agents Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Nene Hilario and Pablo Prigioni joined Houston in free agency.

Hopes are these additions and the growth of existing assets will translate into a season similar to 2014-15. While fans wait for opening night on October 26th versus the Lakers hopefully this series will appease your cravings.

To that end, this series showcases the Rockets 82 games noting the pregame analysis, post game grades, and relevant video. Furthermore, SCS will highlight significant changes made by their opponents this summer. So, here it is – – enjoy all 82 posts as SCS takes you back over the 2015-16 season.

Game 27 – Lakers

Pregame Analysis:

Following two consecutive losses the Houston Rockets game 27 offered a reprieve as they faced the lottery bound Lakers once again.

Entering the night social media was buzzing around Dwight Howard. A solid effort versus Roy Hibbert would give pundits something else to focus on.  The other speculation I had was whether  Bickerstaff would return Donatas Motiejunas back into the starting line-up tonight

The full pregame analysis is available via this link.

Post Game Analysis:

SCS Writer Coty Davis offered Three Takeaways from the game including comments on Dwight Howard and his growing dissatisfaction in H-Town.

When he missed three of his first four layups, it was clear that Howard played this game with a lot on his mind last night. However, like Reggie Miller said in last night’s broadcast, the rumors surrounding Howard this season will only become a distraction to the team moving forward. This was the first game for Howard and the Rockets since trade rumors and speculations about his happiness in Houston started.

From the early moments of the first quarter, it was easy to tell that the Rockets tried to get Howard more involved in the offense. Although he recorded his eighth double-double of the season, it would have been nice to see Howard score more than 16 points against the Lakers. Why? Because there isn’t one player in LA who can stop Howard in the post.

Stat Leaders:

SCS writer Coty Davis favorite player Kobe Bryant didn’t disappoint as his post game player grades demonstrated. For the Rockets James Harden was one of many roster players who excelled, yet he took the top grade from Davis.

NBA.com box score can be reviewed via this link.

Rockets Games vs Lakers  in 2016-17

• October 26th the Rockets open their season in LA at Staples Center
• December 7th at home
• March 15th at home

Draft Picks and Free Agents

Los Angeles acted quickly when free agency hit doling out  some questionably high contracts. While the expected Rookie of the Year resides on the Sixers the player who could end up developing into the Lakers next franchise star was selected second overall.

With the exit of Kobe Bryant via retirement the Lakers are looking to re-establish a new winning regime and build an identity with their youngsters. To that end, Luol Deng should offer valuable veteran experience and knowledge on becoming a professional.

Draft Picks:

Round 1: Brandon Ingram (2) 


Round 2: Ivica Zubac (32)

Incoming Free Agents/trade:

• Luol Deng 4-year $72M exits Heat
• Timofey Mozgov 4-years $64M exits Cavs

Exiting Free Agents/traded: 

Exiting: 

• Roy Hibbert 1-year, $5M
• Brandon Bass to a 1-year minimum deal moves to Clippers
• Robert Sacre signs summer league/training camp contract with Pelicans

Re-upping:

• Jordan Clarkson 4-years, $50M
• Tarik Black 2-years, $12.85M
• Marcelo Huertas to a 2-year deal

Unresolved:

• Metta World Peace
• Ryan Kelly

More Free Agent News

Next: Updated Free Agency Report

Next: Free Agency Profiles for all 30 Teams

Due to the large Houston Rockets fan base, SCS is always looking to add new talent to our writing team. To that end, we’re looking for individuals with a specialized focus.  Specifically, the first area  is perfect for someone who constantly surfs for breaking news on injuries, trades, insider info. Consequently this individual would select top news items providing timely quick hits to keep SCS readers in the loop.

The other writer would possess an especially strong social media background and would like to interact with Clutch City Fans. Therefore this person will promote SCS team content on facebook and twitter. As a result the successful candidate will  make sure to promote the best content coming from H-Town fans. In conclusion, if you’re a budding writer who possesses these qualities vist the SCS link, and fill out an application.