With the start of the 2014-15 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. This will be the first meeting between Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard since the All-Star center left the franchise via free agency.
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While all the attention will be on Kobe’s first regular season game, the Lakers received good news before the game as Xavier Henry is available to play while Ronnie Price is probable according to Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell:
Pleasant surprise for the Lakers: despite missing the preseason, Xavier Henry is available to play tonight.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 28, 2014
Another good piece of news: Ronnie Price has progressed and is probable to play tonight.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 28, 2014
For Price, the point guard suffered a bone bruise in the team’s final preseason game and it was unclear if he would be able to play tonight. As a result, Jeremy Lin will start alongside Kobe and Byron Scott said on Monday that rookie Jordan Clarkson may get some minutes backing up Lin.
With Henry unable to play any preseason games and undergoing knee treatment in Germany, it is unclear if he will actually play tonight. However, it is good news for the Lakers as Nick Young is weeks away from returning from a torn ligament in his right thumb.
[divide]Lakers Practice: Kobe Bryant Before Opening Night