Stars will be out in force when Lakers, Rockets meet

Two teams looking for a return to form meet when the Los Angeles Lakers face the visiting Houston Rockets in a Christmas Day matchup Thursday.

Both teams still are in the top half of the Western Conference standings, but their recent play has been underwhelming at times. Houston has lost four of its last five games, while Los Angeles has dropped three of its last five.

Los Angeles lost consecutive games for the first time with Tuesday's 132-108 road defeat to the Phoenix Suns. Lakers...