L.A. brings buzz when in town
The Rockets have long known they would not reach the postseason, nor even get to late-season games with that pursuit still a possibility. But they can pretend.
Toyota Center will be full. The Lakers will be in town. Playoff implications will be considered, even if only for the visitors.
There is also a belief that the Rockets will get the Lakers’ best, given the stakes for the Lakers now that they have moved close to the top six of the Western Conference and a certain playoff spot, and given the Rockets’ win against them last month when LeBron James and Anthony Davis were sitting out.
“We love playing the Lakers,” Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. said. “It’s the Lakers, at the end of the day. Bron, A.D., big names come in and that’s usually when we raise our intensity. And it’s our home. They’re coming in here. We have to protect our home.”
There was not quite that sort of atmosphere when the Pistons visited town Friday with both teams competing to avoid the indignity of finishing with the league’s worst record. The arena was crowded with college coaches and agents, in town for the Final Four, with more spillover buzz from the NCAA Tournament expected Sunday in Toyota Center.
“It’s going to be fun,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “It’s going to be an opportunity to compete against the best. It’s going to be packed with the Final Four here — so many basketball fans in the building, tickets are hard to get right now. That’s a great atmosphere for our guys.
“You can include those other things where LeBron didn’t play last time, A.D. didn’t play last time; they’re playing this time and they need a game. It’s just going to be a fun atmosphere. We’re looking forward to it.”
The Rockets experienced some of that on the road trip, especially in Memphis when they played in Ja Morant’s first game back from his suspension as the Grizzlies clinched their division title; in Cleveland when the Cavaliers clinched a playoff spot; and in New York, when the Knicks played for the first time at home since the passing of Willis Reed with the game serving as a night to celebrate the franchise icon.
The Rockets lost in the closing minutes in the first game in Memphis, played well for a half against the Knicks and made a run against the Cavaliers. They returned home with a seven-game losing streak before breaking through against the Pistons. But they believed they had made progress that will get tested against the Lakers on Sunday and against the Nuggets, the top team in the Western Conference standings, on Tuesday in the Rockets’ home finale.
“We’ve been playing better than our record shows,” Silas said. “We’ve been playing harder than our record shows. It’s unfortunate. But there has been a growth.”
They’ll need it with the Lakers at full strength. Davis, who turned his left ankle Friday against Minnesota but stayed in the game to score 17 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter, and James, still working his way back after missing a month with the foot injury, said after Friday’s win that they would be in the lineup again Sunday.
The game would be just the third with the Lakers’ retooled starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, James and Davis.
“LeBron, he’s one of the best to every do it,” forward K.J. Martin said. “Any opportunity you have to go and play against him, it’s always going to be a battle. Those are the type of guys you want to play against. It’s always fun to play against a great like that and compete at a high level.”
The Lakers will also have their usual throngs of fans in Toyota Center, which typically brings greater energy to the home fans. As much as the Rockets had vowed not to just play out the string of a lost season, the occasion should make it a clear there will be a need to rise to meet it.
“We’ll have a packed arena,” guard Jalen Green said. “Our fans really support us, but I know they like seeing Bron in action, too. I know all of Houston will pull up, plus we have Final Four people in the building. It should be exciting. It’s going to be fun.”
The Rockets have also sought to play a spoiler role, though they did not spoil much when they beat the Celtics, Lakers and Pelicans in consecutive games and have not beaten a team in position to reach the postseason since.
“For us,” Porter said, “we want to spoil as many seasons as we can.”