Harden and Houston visit Davis and the Lakers

Houston Rockets (40-24, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (49-14, first in the Western Conference)

Los Angeles; Thursday, 10:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Two of the NBA's top scorers, Anthony Davis and James Harden, meet when Los Angeles and Houston take the court. Davis is ninth in the NBA averaging 26.7 points per game and Harden leads the league averaging 34.4 points per game.

The Lakers are 33-7 in conference games. Los Angeles averages 114.3 points and has outscored opponents by 7.4 points per game.

The Rockets are 25-17 against conference opponents. Houston is seventh in the NBA scoring 14.7 fast break points per game led by Russell Westbrook averaging 4.8.

The teams meet for the third time this season. The Rockets won 121-111 in the last matchup on Feb. 6. Westbrook led Houston with 41 points, and Davis led Los Angeles with 32 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Davis leads the Lakers with 9.4 rebounds and averages 26.7 points. LeBron James has averaged 27 points and 8.5 assists over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.

Harden leads the Rockets averaging 4.4 made 3-pointers while scoring 34.4 points per game and shooting 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. Westbrook has averaged 23.3 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 42.8 percent over the last 10 games for Houston.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 8-2, averaging 112.2 points, 45.7 rebounds, 23.5 assists, nine steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.8 points on 43.4 percent shooting.

Rockets: 6-4, averaging 117.9 points, 41.1 rebounds, 22.1 assists, 9.7 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.9 points on 46.3 percent shooting.

INJURIES: Lakers: Dwight Howard: day to day (illness).

Rockets: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.