
Hit Open Shots
This one is pretty straightforward — if the Rockets hit the open shots they create for each other, they have an excellent chance to prevail over the West-leading Lakers and send a message that they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
Against Damian Lillard and the Blazers, the Rockets shot just 39.6 percent, which included a 32.7 percent night from beyond the arc. The previous night against Memphis, they shot just 31.1 percent from the 3-point line and 43 percent overall.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1217670229972672512?s=20
The difference between the Lakers and Rockets right now is that L.A. can rely on their third-ranked defense whenever their offense goes cold, which cannot be said about Houston. As it stands going into Saturday’s primetime ABC matchup, Space City will need to have a great shooting night to hang with the Lakers unless they pick up their defense by a big margin.
The much-anticipated matchup tips off Saturday at 8:30pm ET on ABC.