Depleted Lakers limp into Houston

Lakers center Tarik Black on Monday night added his name to a long list of wounded rotation players whose absence is undermining the promise that marked the first few weeks of this season in Los Angeles. Black suffered an ankle sprain in a 107-101 home loss to the Utah Jazz, increasing the number of sidelined rotation players to five for the Lakers (10-13). Relatedly, the Lakers have dropped three consecutive games, four of six and six of eight as they ready for their second meeting with the Rockets on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.