Dorian Finney-Smith is trending for his season debut on Christmas Day against the Lakers
On Thursday night, The Houston Rockets will hit floor on the way to a Christmas matchup against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets are hoping to turn things around after two consecutive puzzling losses to the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers in the last few games, dropping his record to 17-10 in the 2025-26 NBA season.
The Rockets have played this entire season without a free agency signing Dorian Finney-Smith. The former Lakers wing has been ruled out of the lineup due to offseason left ankle surgery, but a new update on the injury report has given some optimism that he may be able to make his debut in Houston against his former team on Christmas Day.
According to the injury report at 11:30 a.m. ET, Finney-Smith is officially listed as suspicious for the game against the Lakers, an upgrade from his status charts earlier this season.
Meanwhile, star big man Alperen Sengun is also questionable for this match due to a strained left calf.
Luka Doncic is officially listed as questionable for the Lakers, though ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier this week that the star is expected to be able to play against Houston.
Finney-Smith would give the Rockets another player who can play competent defense and stretch the floor on the offensive side of the ball, joining players like Jabari Smith Jr. and Tara Eason in that regard. It would certainly be understandable if Finney-Smith needed a game or two to get back into his groove, but when he does, he can be a net positive for a playoff team in the modern NBA.
Either way, the Rockets and Lakers are scheduled to tip things off Thursday at 8:00 PM ET from Los Angeles.
2025-12-25 17:13:00
