Lakers vs. Rockets Preview: The “get back” trip continuous

The Lakers’ final road trip of the season is off to an impressive start as they took care of business in Chicago and Minnesota. The purple and gold are above .500 for the first time since January 2022 and have leapfrogged the Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans in the wild Western Conference standings to move up to the seventh seed.

With the way this rejuvenated group is playing, they’re showing signs that when healthy and focused, they’re capable of challenging any team that comes their way. The Lakers have approached this past stretch one game at a time and are gradually building an identity while they’re at it. They’ve had the league’s best defense since the trade deadline and that was…