The regular season is about to end for the Lakers but a lot can still happen in the last week or so. Here’s how things are stacking up right now:

Suddenly, the Lakers look ever-so-close to the #6 spot as they have the same number of losses as the Clippers and the Pelicans. A lot can still change in a week.

The Lakers go to Houston on what most would still say is a gimmie. Well, that wasn’t exactly the case the last time these two teams faced each other.

On March 15th, the Rockets upset the Lakers in Houston. The Lakers didn’t have either Anthony Davis or LeBron James but it still should’ve been a win for these Lakers. The same problems plagued the Lakers: lack of focus early in the game and lack of bigs against the board-crashing Rockets. Wenyen Gabriel did have a career-high 15 boards but with not much help (and size) from the rest of the team, Rockets ended up with a +13 in rebounds. The Lakers rallied back and even made the ending interesting but a missed free throw by Austin Reaves very late in the game finished off the Lakers.

The Rockets just snapped a 7-game losing streak on Friday after a win over a fellow hapless team in the Detroit Pistons. But before that, they played spoiler against the Celtics, the Lakers, and the Pelicans (though the Pelicans got their win back a couple of days later). And the Rockets are certainly capable of beating the Lakers again.

I had mentioned before what the strengths of the Rockets are: they’re still the best at getting the offensive rebounds and, while reckless and inexperienced, youth and energy can take a team far. How far? Well, it depends if the Lakers can match their energy or not. Again, this has been a problem for the Lakers throughout the season. They have to treat this as a Game 7. And since it’s the 19-59 Rockets, they should demoralize them early and get a double-digit lead as soon as possible.

The Rockets play chaotic. Sometimes, there’s no sense of structure when they play and the lack of fundamentals stand out. They’re currently last in assists. Former Houston Rocket Eric Gordon even lamented that there was “no improvement” last January.

But with the season coming to a close very soon and with really nothing to lose, the Rockets can be dangerous in that way. They already beat the Lakers a few weeks ago. They can play as chaotic as they want and if the Lakers don’t match the energy and intensity, it could be a repeat of the Ides of March.

Hopefully, the Lakers sense that. Anthony Davis should cure their rebounding woes (even though he’s listed as probable). LeBron James (listed as questionable) should give them… well, it’s LeBron effin’ James. You know what he can do. He scored 48 points in their first game against Houston.

As for who to watch out for? They certainly have a lot of capable scorers. Kevin Porter, Jr. led the Rockets in their last match-up with 27 points. Jalen Green is their leading scorer at 22.0 points per game but he hasn’t shot well against the Lakers this season (11 for 33, .333). He might be due against them on Sunday. Alperen Şengün went for 33 points, 15 boards, 6 assists, and four blocks in their first match-up. And while Jabari Smith, Jr. isn’t as hot as he was early in March, he is finding his way in the NBA game.

Focus. Energy. Don’t turn the ball over. And the bench better hold down the fort. They really should do that every game but we have to especially emphasize this against the team with the second worst record in the league. The Lakers’ loss in March 15 against Houston is biting them right now and, if they’re not careful, another loss to them could do even more damage.