LeBron James heats up, leads Lakers over Rockets
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of a Houston Rockets’ team disinterested in playing defense, cruising to a 117-100 victory in the second of back-to-back games at the Toyota Center.
The Lakers improved their record to 9-3 on the season, including 6-0 on the road. The Rockets fell to 3-6 on the year.
LeBron James led the Chargers for the Lakers, finishing with 26 points and eight rebounds on 10-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.
James even made a 3-point from the corner after turning to the L.A. bench while the ball was still in flight. James said afterwards that teammate Dennis Schröder bet him he could not make the shot.
“I took the bet while I was still shooting the ball. So, a bet isn’t official until you look a man in his eyes,” quipped James.
This game was over early. Lakers used a 12-0 scoring run to grab a 28-10 lead with 4:55 left in the opening quarter and led by as many as 30 in the second half.
Houston Texans quarterback Dehsaun Watson was in attendance at the game.
The Lakers scored a season-high 71 points in the first half. They will play the second of back-to-back games on Wednesday night on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Top player: Anthony Davis continued his defensive prowess, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
What I liked: The Lakers shot 14-of-32 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 second-chance points.
What I did not like: The Lakers missed thee dunks and they turned it over 20 times.
Injuries: Wesley Matthews (sore right Achilles) and Jared Dudley (sore right calf) were held out a second straight game against the Rockets.
They said it: “It’s not like you go home and you lock yourself in a closet. You have family. They get to move around a bit more. Even though everything is closed in L.A., they get to go to the grocery store, you get stuff delivered to your home or your kids play outside and what not. So, you try to do the best possible and hope for the best outcome.” – Lakers center Marc Gasol on the more restrictive NBA protocols implemented by the league to help stem the recent spike in positive tests.
