The Small-Ball Houston Rockets Pose A Challenge For The Lakers
About ten hours before the Lakers played Houston, LeBron James said the Rockets -- who got even smaller at the trade deadline -- present a big problem for the league.
In a nutshell: They're hard as heck to guard with so many three-point shooters alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
James knew the problem. He just didn't know how to solve it
In the Lakers' 121-111 loss to Houston on Thursday, they couldn't figure out how to stop the Rockets from deep range, while also protecting their basket.
When they guarded the perimeter, Westbrook weaved through defenders with an impossibly quick first-step en route to 41 points on 60.7 percent shooting.
When they sagged, any of the five guys on the court could make a shot from beyond the arc. The Rockets took turns proving that, with eight of nine players scoring at least one three-pointer. The Rockets made 19 three-pointers, while the Lakers made nine.
The Lakers were a bit taken aback by the Rockets' unique style of play and, well, their smallness. Their tallest player on Thursday was Robert Covington, who is 6-feet-7.
Lakers' coach Frank Vogel said his team will adjust better next time.
"We could have guarded Russell better with one-on-one, and we could have gotten to shooters better when we doubled James, but really, for me, our offensive rhythm was out of sync," Vogel said. "We didn’t play with a high enough motor, we didn’t punish their switching nearly well enough, and we were careless and sloppy with the basketball."
It was a close game with 12 lead changes. But the Rockets, who led by one-point, 112-111, with 3 minutes left, closed the game with a 9-0 run to pull ahead.
During that stretch Covington, whom the Rockets acquired Wednesday in a four-team, 12-player deal, made two three-pointers while Westbrook added a 14-foot jumper and a free throw.
After the game, James marveled at the fact that Westbrook hasn't lost any speed at age 31.
"As we continue to get older in our age in this game, we continue to get smarter and Russ is a much more complete basketball player right now," James said. "His ability to use his speed, use his strength, but also do things with the brain helps out a lot."
James, 35, is famously defying father time as well.
He had an incredible reverse jam in the third quarter in which he jumped off his left foot, gripped the ball with both hands and swept it with outstretched arms from the right side of his face around his body and made a two-handed reverse jam.
James finished one rebound shy of a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists. Anthony Davis had a team-high 32 points and 13 rebounds.
The Lakers, who are atop the Western Conference with a record of 38-12, could easily see the fourth-place Rockets (33-18) in the playoffs.
The Lakers struggled against the Rockets on a night when Harden had 14 points. It's scary for the Lakers to think what would've happened if Harden, who averages 35.8 points a game, was also making his shots.
Or is it?
James wasn't worried.
The Lakers know the problem. And now they have a better idea of how to fix it.
“It’s not frustrating," James said. "We want to continue to get better. We don’t like to lose, especially not in our own building. But nothing frustrating, especially about our effort."
