TV: League Pass

• Mike D’Antoni won’t make his debut as coach of the Lakers tonight, leaving Bernie Bickerstaff to serve his fifth game as interim coach when the Lakers host the Rockets at Staples Center. D’Antoni said before the game that he was convinced by Lakers trainer Gary Vitti to give his knee more time to recover from surgery earlier this month. D’Antoni said he may return Tuesday against visiting Brooklyn, the final game of a six-game home stand, or Wednesday in Sacramento, the start of a three-game road trip. The Lakers fired Mike Brown on Nov. 9, five games into his second season with the Lakers, and hired D’Antoni two days later. The Lakers have gone 3-1 with Bickerstaff calling the shots.

• Lakers point guard Steve Blake will miss his third straight game with a lower abdominal strain. With starter Steve Nash also out at least another week with a non-displaced fracture in his lower left leg, second-year player Darius Morris will make his third career start. With the Lakers playing a more up-tempo pace, Morris was better in his second game as a starter, scoring five points and distributing six assists in Friday night’s 114-102 win against visiting Phoenix. He had one point and one assist in an 84-82 loss to San Antonio three days earlier.

• Houston reserve guard Carlos Delfino will miss his second consecutive game with an injured groin, the team confirmed before the game. Delfino was injured during Wednesday’s victory against visiting New Orleans and sat out Friday’s loss at Portland. Delfino averaged 8.1 points through the first eight games, including a team-high of 19 in a loss to Denver on Nov. 7.

–Dan Arritt

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