The Lakers will take on the Rockets for the second-consecutive game on Tuesday night. With some odd scheduling, Los Angeles gets Houston at Staples for back-to-back games.
They were able to take game one of the mini-series with the help of some terrific defense. Big contributions from guys like Carmelo Anthony helped force 27 turnovers and the offense did their job.
The Lakers could also be getting some extra help on Tuesday night. Wayne Ellington has been on the mend from a grade one hamstring strain despite being active and dressed out for the last couple of games.
Vogel revealed before the game on Sunday that Ellington could be on the way.
He had a good practice yesterday, but we want him to do one more before we throw him out there.
The Lakers had him active as part of the NBA's rule that they must have 12 players active and dressed. With the number of injuries that they've had early on, having him on the sideline was necessary.
Getting Ellington back will be huge for the Lakers' shooting, especially if they continue to play small. He has shot 38 percent from three-point range in his career, including a 42 percent last year with the Pistons.
He might be a slight defensive downgrade in some areas compared to guys like Avery Bradley, but Ellington's shot talent more than makes up for that. His being in there allows for better rotations as well as spreads the floor for guys in the paint.
For the moment, it's unclear what player will lose minutes with the Lakers getting Ellington back in there. It's also no guarantee that he will be ready to go on Tuesday night, but it seemed like they wanted to get him one more practice in. That would be Monday night if that was the case.
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