Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Injury Report

Houston will take on the defending champion Boston Celtics tonight.

Jan 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Losers of three of their last four games, the Houston Rockets are desperately needing to find the rhythm they had weeks ago, where they surged to the top of the Western Conference standings.

Their losses haven’t come against pushovers, seeing Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, the always-gritty Miami Heat and defending-champion Celtics on Friday. But the team is certainly looking to find itself back in the win column soon.

On Sunday evening, they’ll have their chance against a West rival in LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who similarly need to see positive momentum as the 2024-25 season continues to chug along.

Here are the injury reports for both teams:

Houston Rockets injuries:

Tari Eason — Doubtftul: Left lower leg management

Jabari Smith Jr. — Out: left metacarpal fracture

Los Angeles Lakers injuries:

Anthony Davis — Probable: left ankle sprain

Jalen Hood-Schifino — Out: left hamstring

LeBron James — Probable: left foot management

Jarred Vanderbilt — Out: right foot surgery

Gabe Vincent — Doubtful: left oblique strain

Christian Wood — Out: Left knee surgery

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The Rockets remain without their duo of talented forwards in Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. for tonight’s game. Eason suffered his injury at shootaround just days ago, and it an obviously big loss for Houston given his defense and shooting in the starting lineup.

Eason, the other half of the Terror Twins duo with Amen Thompson, seems to be trending towards a return to play in the coming weeks, but has missed several consecutive games. In the least, the Rockets get guard Amen Thompson back from suspension.

The Lakers superstar duo of James and Anthony Davis will play, but a host of role players are out due to various injuries.

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