Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction: Will the Lakers be able to win?

The Lakers lost to Houston in their last road game, but now they have no margin for error as Darwin Ham's team battles to make the playoffs. Will the Lakers be able to achieve critical success?

The Rockets won their previous game, beating Detroit 121:115 on their home court and snapping their seven-game losing streak. To put it mildly, Houston does not need a win right now. The team is still last in the Western Conference, but San Antonio has a chance to catch up with the Rockets, which means they can go lower and get a better draft pick. As strange as it may sound, there is no way Houston can win a single game in the final stretch of the season.

The Lakers need to win, which is precisely what Darwin Ham's team has been doing. In their last six games, the Lakers have lost only once, at home to Chicago (108:118), and overcame the Bulls on the road (121:110) as well as Orlando (111:105), Oklahoma City (116:111), Phoenix (122:111) and Minnesota (123:111). LeBron James and company are currently eighth in the Western Conference standings but still a contender for a spot in the top six. The Lakers are only 1.5 wins away from a direct playoff spot.

Of course, the Lakers will win the upcoming game. Houston doesn't need wins, while the team from Los Angeles needs them at the finish line of the championship. The Lakers will likely win this handily, given their excellent form in recent games. Since the return of LeBron James to the floor, the Lakers have certainly improved on offense. The team made progress on defense while James wasn't playing. Now the Lakers are one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference, and they won five of their last six games for a reason, three of which they were stronger by double-digit score difference.