Is LeBron James playing tonight against Houston Rockets? LA Lakers star's status revealed (Nov. 19)

LeBron James and the LA Lakers return to action tonight. They take on the Houston Rockets aiming to build some momentum as they are coming off a 107-95 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. The Houston Rockets saw their six-game winning streak come to an end vs. the LA Clippers (100-106) and they want to get back on track in their second straight game in Los Angeles.

LeBron James spent 35 minutes on the floor Friday and went for 35 points and nine assists while dealing with a calf injury. For Sunday's game, he is officially listed as available to play.

The all-time scoring leader is averaging 25.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 6.3 apg, on 57.2 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from beyond the arc this season. He has missed only one game this season, as the Lakers are 7-6 and 3-0 in the In-Season Tournament.

Lakers' coach praises LeBron James for performance vs. Blazers

LeBron James led the way for the Lakers in Friday's game vs. the Blazers, which helped the 17-time NBA champions stay undefeated in the In-Season Tournament and come very close to advancing to the knockout stage.

Afterward, Lakers' coach Darvin Ham had high praise for the "King" and the way he played against Portland. He told reporters:

"Just a no nonsense approach from start to finish. We said before the game that we wanted to attack each possession on both sides of the ball. Obviously they offensive rebounded the ball very, very well, at an extremely high level. Obviously that’s an area we need to continuously work on to get better at and improve at.

"We play really great defense and it’s kind of deflating to see a team get second and third opportunities. But having said that, we’re disappointed a little bit, but never wavered and kept going, never got discouraged. But Bron was leading the charge, setting the table not only for himself but for his teammates."

Meanwhile, LeBron James is motivated to go as far as he can in the NBA In-Season Tournament and says that the Lakers 'know what's at stake' in the competition.

James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

"I think it’s an incentive, for sure, early in the season when you’re playing in the In-Season Tournament. We understand what’s at stake.

"That’s not saying we’re putting all our eggs in one basket in the In-Season Tournament, but we know when the games come on Tuesday and Friday, we know what it’s about. We know what’s at stake so it’s been good to us so far."

LeBron and the Lakers will stay home after the game vs. the Rockets, as they host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.