LeBron James' 'Love' for Competition Keeps Houston Rockets Winless in L.A.: Notebook
LeBron James had three battles simultaneously inside the Crypto.com Arena Sunday night. He had a one-on-one battle going on against Dillon Brooks. A team battle against the Houston Rockets. And at 38-years-old, a battle against Father Time.
Unfortunately for Houston, James won all three battles, as the Rockets sustained a 105-104 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"That's a new and improved well coached team," James said. "I understand what competition is all about. And I love competition."
James had a vendetta against the Rockets during their second meeting of the season. He scored 37 points on 73.7 percent shooting from the field, 40.0 percent from behind the arc, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.
It was a complete 180 from his performance inside the Toyota Center on Nov. 8. The Rockets held James to a season-low 18 points en route to a 34-point victory.
But despite James' vintage play, the game came down to the final seconds for the second consecutive night in Los Angeles. Alperen Şengün scored a contested layup to tie the game at 104. His basket left four seconds in the fourth quarter.
James received an inbound pass from Austin Reaves. But instead of taking the quick foul, Brooks gambled on the pass. The failed steal left 1.9 seconds on the game clock. James split his two free throw attempts, which resulted in Brooks missing a potential game-winning basket from halfcourt.
Brooks revealed that he did not come close to recording the steal. He would have played James up-right on his right shoulder if there was a chance at a do over. By changing his position, Brooks would have prevented an open lane.
"We wanted to play solid," coach Ime Udoka said. "With four seconds left, you want to put your best defenders out there. We wanted him to catch it in the mid-post and settle for a fadeaway. But to gamble for a steal at that point was not a smart decision. We just wanted them to stay in front with our best defenders."
Brooks' defensive mishaps in the closing seconds did not hinder his impact against the Lakers. He finished with a team-high 24 points while nailing a career-best six 3-point field goals and three steals.
Brooks' play against the Lakers illustrated his significance to Houston 11 games into the season. But for the first time as a Rocket, Brooks was outplayed by James, as their rivalry continues to grow.
"He finishes around the rim," Brooks said. "I had to keep playing defense while trying to make it tough on him."
Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles against Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena.
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
How much did a subpar third quarter play into the Rockets loss?
Brooks' gamble during the closing seconds may have been costly. But the Rockets would have left Los Angeles with a victory over the Lakers if not for their subpar play during the third quarter.
"We did not play great in the third quarter," Udoka said. "We let them get out a little bit there. But I like how we fought back. We just didn't play smart at the end."
The Rockets overcame a slow start to take a 55-49 lead into halftime. The third quarter began with an offensive foul called on Şengün. And on Houston's next offensive possession, Şengün committed the first of nine turnovers during the period.
The back-to-back misfortunes the Rockets had at the start of the second half led to the Lakers winning the third quarter 32-20, where Houston missed seven of their nine attempts from behind the arc.
Fred VanVleet isn't oblivious to James' greatness or the fourth-quarter mistakes that led to the one-point loss. But VanVleet believes if it wasn't for their third-quarter troubles, the Rockets would have come away on the winning side.
"We played a good three quarters," VanVleet said. "But the third quarter was a bit uncharacteristic for us. That's going to catch up to anybody."
Rockets fall to 0-4 on the road:
Despite back-to-back competitive games in Los Angeles, the Rockets have yet to adopt Udoka's road warrior mentality. By falling to the Lakers, the Rockets are 0-4 away from the Toyota Center.
Friday night, the Rockets sustained a 106-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. James Harden broke Houston's six-game winning streak with a game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
