Rockets start road trip against Golden State

Houston will try and get back on the winning track. Superstar Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Los Angeles squandered a 27-point fourth quarter lead but held on and escaped with a 102-94 victory over the Rockets on Tuesday at the Toyota Center.

All-Star center Yao Ming poured in 26 points on 9-of-19 from the field for the Rockets in the loss to the Lakers, while Luther Head scored 21 points for Houston, which had a two-game winning streak halted. John Lucas netted 13 and Juwan Howard posted 10 points in defeat.

On the injury front for Houston, guard Tracy McGrady (back spasms) is out indefinitely. He is averaging 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and a team-best 6.3 assists this season.

The Rockets are 6-5 on the road this season. They will also visit the Lakers, Clippers, Portland and San Antonio on the current road trip.

The Warriors close out a two-game homestand this evening. On Tuesday, Matt Barnes poured in a career-high 32 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as Golden State defeated the Sacramento Kings, 126-113, at ORACLE Arena.

Barnes, who recorded his first career double-double, finished 13-of-22 from the floor in the victory for Golden State, while Mickael Pietrus posted 21 points and Andris Biedrins and Mike Dunleavy both scored 20 for the Warriors, who have won two of their last three games overall.

Golden State is 10-5 at home this season. After tonight’s contest, the Warriors embark on a six-game road trip. They will visit Phoenix, Toronto, New Jersey, Boston, Orlando and Miami on the upcoming swing.

This is the second meeting of the season between the clubs. On December 5th, McGrady poured in a game-high 31 points, dished out seven assists and had three steals as Houston crushed Golden State, 118-90, at the Toyota Center.

Houston has won two straight and three of its last four at Golden State. The Rockets have won three in a row in this series.