Kevin Durant had one of the worst halves of his career on Monday as the Lakers sent double teams after him at half court. Kenneth Richmond / HOUSTON — Each failed Houston Rockets possession felt like a repeat of the previous one Monday night as another winnable game slipped away in the fourth quarter.

We expect a Rockets win, but health will have to work to Houston's record for that to actually go down.

On Monday night, the Houston Rockets hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in a matchup to determine the third place crown in the Western Conference — at least for tonight.

The Houston Rockets came up short against the Los Angeles Lakers in ugly fashion late.

On Monday night, the Houston Rockets will play the Los Angeles Lakers (at home) in Texas.The Rockets are coming off a 107-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans (also at home).Alperen Sengun did not play in the game.

The Rockets opened a two-game set against the Lakers with an ugly offensive showing in the fourth quarter to see an important game slip away.

Tip-off is at 9:30 PM ET on NBCSN and Peacock.

During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Jones wore only jersey No. 9 and put up 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

The Houston Rockets are back to playing key games against top competitors in the Western Conference. They are surrounded by teams with similar records and simil