It seems like the Los Angeles Lakers are really trying to avoid fouling Houston Rockets superstar James Harden. Here we see Josh Hart putting his hands behind his back while guarding the four-time MVP.

It seems that there's no love lost between these two teams.

This is the third time the Lakers have faced the Rockets this season, and the first two were nothing short of controversial.

During their first matchup in November last year, several players were suspended because of an altercation that surrounded Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo.

In their second matchup that took place in early December, the Lakers gave up 19 free throws to James Harden alone, something that they've complained about throughout the game. When the referees weren't listening to their claims, they silently protested by putting their hands behind their backs.

With Hart defending Harden the way he did, it is clear that the Lakers are expecting that the officials will call a lot of fouls in favor of the Rockets yet again. However, they are playing without their top scorer, LeBron James, so they cannot afford to joke around as they need to get as many wins as possible to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff race while their star recovers from injury.