Lakers Highlights: LA Dominates Houston As Rockets Coach Ejected
Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena was an absolute circus in the Lakers' 107-97 victory over the Houston Rockets.
4 technical fouls and an ejection of Rockets head coach Ime Udoka made for much more entertainment than LA's dominant outing otherwise would've provided.
Here's a look at what got Udoka tossed:
Details of their conversation will likely be released after the game, but this wasn't something you normally see. Coaches are hardly ejected, and if they are, it's due to a skirmish with the ref – not someone playing in the game.
The above clip is what preceded LeBron and Udoka's confrontation, which led to technicals issued to LeBron and Cam Reddish.
Technicals and ejections aside, LA was great throughout this game. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Lakers played well for a sell-out crowd, including a 21-point victory in the second quarter (35-14).
Here are some of their top plays on the night:
While the final score only featured a 10-point differential, LA began pulling starters at the 3:05 remaining mark in the 4th quarter with an 18-point lead.
LA's blueprint to win this game was hard-nosed defense and getting good looks offensively. Despite shooting only 29% from the 3-point line and 19 of 27 from the free throw line, LA shot 45% from the field overall, reflecting their ability to put points up from inside the arc.
Defensively, they had 11 steals and forced 17 turnovers, both good marks that, if replicated, give them a great shot against any team in the league.
Offensively, a 107-point outing is pretty rough. If LA were to average that, it would rank 29th in the NBA.
In that, however, Max Christie and Austin Reaves were terrific off the bench, combining for 30 points on 10-18 shooting. Christie also added 7 rebounds while Reaves put up 3 steals, indicating their well-rounded efforts.
Guard D'Angelo Russell struggled a bit with his shot, shooting just 4-10 from the field (9 points) but had 7 assists and a whopping 5 steals, contributing in multiple ways and retaining his value despite his limited scoring output.
LA had a comfortable lead for most of this game also enabled them to take their foot off the gas, limiting their overall offensive output. Either way, let's hope the group looks more explosive on Tuesday against the Suns, where they'll face off in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament.
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