The Houston Rockets faced the Los Angeles Lakers in a game where Anthony Davis and LeBron James were expected to play. Despite a strong start by the Lakers, the Rockets, led by rookie Cam Whitmore, took a commanding lead in the first half. The Lakers struggled defensively and were unable to close the gap, eventually losing 135-119. Anthony Davis and LeBron James each scored 23 points, but the Lakers fell to a .500 record. The Rockets' Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun made history with their performances. The Lakers' defense was criticized, and the team faced challenges with their lineup due to injuries. The Rockets split the season series with the Lakers 2-2.
When you're trying to come back from down by 15 after 3Q, going 1-for-5 on FTs to start the 4th doesn't help things. LAL is now 11-for-22 from the line for the game and trail 123-107 with 4:46 to go in the 4th.
LAL had a pair of chances to trim the lead under 10, with Reaves missing a short J in the paint, and Hachimura an open corner 3, before ATL countered with a transition put-back dunk off a LeBron block. 109-97 is the margin with 8:44 to play.
LeBron opened the 4th Q with a 3, and LAL are 7 for 9 from distance in the 2nd half after a 2 for 13 first half. They're within 10 after Rui Hachimura scored in transition. Meanwhile, Trae Young was shooting 28.2% from 3 in January, but started 6 for 6 tonight.
Third quarter: Hawks 103, Lakers 88 Austin Reaves has 23 points and 6 assists. LeBron has 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Rui Hachimura has 11 points. DLo has 9 on 3-11 FGs. LA is 12 minutes away from likely dropping below .500 again with Boston and New York up next.
Views from the game: Rockets defeat Lakers 135-119 https://t.co/1qKCIcS2N2 via @DreamShakeSBN
Houston started the 3rd Q on a 16-4 run last night. Tonight's, it's a quick 6-0 Atlanta run to start the 3rd that has LAL down 73-56, the biggest deficit thus far.
The Lakers trail 67-56 at the half. They're shooting 2-for-13 from 3; the Hawks are 7-for-17 from the outside.
LAL trail 67-56 at the half. Atlanta came into this game as the 29th ranked team in 3-point % in January at 32.9%, but hit 7 of 17 (41.2%) to LAL's 2 of 13 (15.4%) in the half.
Lakers playing that wonderful lockdown defense as they held the Hawks to 67 points in the first half. Woof.
The Lakers trail 36-29 after 1Q here in ATL. LAL shot 46.2%; the Hawks shot 65.2%.
First quarter: Hawks 36, Lakers 29 Austin Reaves leads the Lakers with 9 points. LeBron James and Rui Hachimura each have 4 points. Hawks are shooting 65.2% and have outscored LA 24-20 in the paint. LA is 1-for-10 on 3s (10%). Dejounte Murray has 8 points, 5 assists and 1 steal.
LAL lost their first two games without Anthony Davis by a combined 48 points. Tonight, they head into the 2nd Q trailing Atlanta 36-29. They'll need to get more shots to fall after a 12 for 26 1st Q (1 of 10 from 3).
This is LAL's first back-to-back in a month, and they just haven't been able to stick a 3 in the opening minutes, going 0 for 8 from distance. They trail 20-18 despite forcing 5 Hawks turnovers.
LeBron James is active and starting. Lakers starters: F 12 Taurean Prince 6-6 216 F 23 LeBron James 6-9 250 C 11 Jaxson Hayes 7-0 217 G 15 Austin Reaves 6-5 206 G 1 D’Angelo Russell 6-4 200
Lakers’ starters vs. Atlanta: D’Angelo Russell Austin Reaves Taurean Prince LeBron James Jaxson Hayes
Jaxson Hayes will start in place of Anthony Davis (hip spasm) in tonight’s road game vs. the Atlanta Hawks. #Lakeshow @SportingTrib https://t.co/3dtoA7F7eF
Jaxson Hayes will start in place of Anthony Davis ( ) in tonight’s road game vs. the Atlanta Hawks. #Lakeshow @SportingTrib https://t.co/JCLPscCYkK
Lakers starters in the absence of AD: Russell, Reaves, Prince, LeBron and Hayes.
LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight’s game at Atlanta, per the Lakers. #Lakeshow @SportingTrib https://t.co/GggWthYl46
Lakers vs. Rockets vlog: Behind the scenes: https://t.co/tgqmfzsF2N
Darvin Ham says that LeBron James is going through his pregame process and “hopefully” will be available tonight vs. Atlanta.
Anthony Davis will miss his third game of the season tonight in Atlanta: https://t.co/Je5RqZDduz https://t.co/NxTlXeBwaF
Anthony Davis (hip/achilles) will miss tonight’s game vs the Hawks, per @ShamsCharania https://t.co/MtE5efbqPs
Lakers list LeBron James (left ankle) as questionable for tonight's game vs the Atlanta Hawks
No pair of teammates aged 21 or younger had ever both recorded stat lines of: ◽️ 30+ PTS ◽️ 10+ REB ◽️ 5+ AST In the same season. Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün did it in the same 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚. H/T @OptaSTATS https://t.co/E6PtiBtZFP
Rockets blow out Lakers at Toyota Center for second time this season https://t.co/g6NhlcahkN via @SportsRadio610
#Rockets romp over #Lakers 135-119 https://t.co/DNsVQ2Sx9h via @DreamShakeSBN
Green and Sengun combine for 65 points in Rockets’ dominant win over Lakers #AlperenSengun #HoustonRockets #JalenGreen #LosAngelesLakers https://t.co/bhr1o9sPxo
Rockets insider: Houston flexes its swagger in win over Lakers https://t.co/pckn1ez9m2
Assessing every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 135-119 loss to the Rockets. @LakersSBN https://t.co/ZuU5ZyIxoj
Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun made history tonight 🚀 https://t.co/llk3LWTRdN
LeBron James said postgame that he plans on playing tomorrow in Atlanta on the second night of LA's back-to-back.
Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun both had 30+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists for the @HoustonRockets tonight. They are both 21 years old. It's the first time in NBA history 2 teammates 21 or younger have each had such a game in the same season (let alone in the same game). https://t.co/TtD6vAsBMG
LeBron says he plans to play tomorrow in Atlanta. Anthony Davis expressed less certainty. Or if nothing else, less of a definitive opinion in either direction. AK
LeBron James says he plans on being available tomorrow vs. the Hawks in Atlanta.
Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun become the first duo in NBA history to each have 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in the same game, both at the age 21 or younger! Green: 34 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST, W Sengun: 31 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST, W https://t.co/1YLYPvWi4l
Rockets 135, Lakers 119: Houston dominates L.A. to begin homestand https://t.co/frtJap1h8m
Sengun and Jalen Green combine for 64 points as the Rockets beat the Lakers. 🔥 https://t.co/ENjuiZ4jnn https://t.co/Hv1ZSuVSAs
The Rockets destroy the Lakers 😳 ✅ HOU +1.5 ✅ O 235.5 https://t.co/lrHOm7w6mm
Darvin Ham says the Lakers will decide on the availability of LeBron James and Anthony Davis for tomorrow’s game in Atlanta by tomorrow morning.
Darvin Ham says he didn’t go back to Anthony Davis in the fourth quarter because of both how well the lineup with Jaxson Hayes was playing and because Davis is still dealing with his groin issue that was aggravated against the Warriors.
Lakers give up 42 in the first quarter, 78 in the first half AT HOUSTON, get embarrassed. Just pathetic. Now they'll say they were "tired" after double OT at Golden State Saturday night. Please.
The Rockets defeat the Lakers 135-119. #Rockets #Sarge #RocketsWire
Lakers lost in Houston. LeBron James played 37 minutes, Anthony Davis played 29 and D’Angelo Russell played 41. They’ll be in Atlanta for their 3rd game in 4 nights tomorrow.
✍️ for @SportingTrib. For the second time this season, the Lakers get embarrassed by the Rockets in Houston. https://t.co/LTGoCbbhmc
The Lakers cut a once 30-point deficit down to 10 in the 4th Q but lose in Houston, 135-119, to fall back to .500 at 24-24. LeBron 23p 10a 6r; AD 23p 7r 2s; D-Lo 23p 5a; Rui 16p 5r. LAL plays the 2nd night of a b2b tomorrow in Atlanta.
Final: Rockets 135, Lakers 119 LA drops to 24-24 and 1-1 on their six-game Grammy road trip. They made things interesting in the fourth but never got closer than within 10 points. Anthony Davis, LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell each had 23 points. Up next: at Atlanta tomorrow.
The Lakers didn't come within single digits once in the final 33+ minutes of that game. Dominant win by the #Rockets, even with LeBron playing 37 minutes
LeBron played through the 2:13 mark of the 4th, and LAL outscored HOU 27-18, but couldn't get close enough to cause a real scare as HOU led by as many as 30. He sits with 23P, 10A and 6R in 37 minutes. Davis didn't return in the 4th, and finishes with 29 minutes.
Rockets split season series with Lakers 2-2.
Flagrant 1 is the ruling on Brooks. Lakers got 2 FT's and the ball, currently down 119-103 with 5:45 to play; LeBron missed both FT's, but converted a layup as LAL kept possession, to cut the margin to 14. He's 3 for 8 tonight at the line.
LA has outscored Houston 19-11 to start the fourth to make this a 16-point game, 119-103, with 6:24 left. LA is sticking with LeBron, DLo and Austin but no AD coming out of the timeout.
Lakers trail 108-84 after 3 Q's. LeBron has played 27 minutes (15P, 6A, 5R) and AD 29 (23P, 7R, 2A). LeBron is starting the 4th Q on the floor, with AD sitting.
Third quarter: Rockets 108, Lakers 84 Houston outscored 30-24 in the third and led by as many as 30 points. AD has 23 points and 7 rebounds. DLo has 23 points and 4 assists. LeBron has 15 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. No other Laker is in double figures.
The Rockets are giving the Lakers that WORK tonight… sheesh. 😮💨 https://t.co/Z7uOdDFfuV
LAL's starters were -9 in the first half, and start the 3rd Q -12 with the Rockets on a 16-4 run into a time out at the 7:34 mark. That's a -21 for the group with Houston leading 94-64. Russell and Davis have 18 points apiece on the other end.
The Lakers lost here in Houston by 34 earlier this since back on November 8. https://t.co/Zt0p5wCsFc
The Lakers call timeout as Houston extends their lead to 30 points, 94-64, with 7:34 left in the third quarter. Given how the Lakers have played tonight and tomorrow being a back-to-back, it's getting to close to the point in which LA should consider resting their starters.
Sengun elevates off the roll for the EMPHATIC jam! Lakers-Rockets | Live on the NBA App 📲 https://t.co/d8rYkIjszt https://t.co/C0sLvz9Ord
The Lakers trail by 30, 94-64, here in Houston midway through the 3rd Q.
At the half, the Rockets lead the Lakers 78-60. #Rockets #Sarge #RocketsWire
LAL had cut into Houston's 21-point lead to make it 73-60 with 40.3 seconds left, but then allowed a pair of Rockets 3's, including one at the buzzer, to find themselves down 18. Rockets shot 55.6% overall, and crushed LAL in rebounds, 29-15, 9-1 on the offensive glass.
Halftime: Rockets 78, Lakers 60 Dillon Brooks' buzzer-beater is good. LA gave up 36+ points in both quarters. After trailing by as many as 21 points, LA briefly trimmed the deficit to 13 before HOU responded with back-to-back baskets. AD has 18 points. DLo has 15. LeBron has 12.
The Rockets scored 78 in the first half. Lakers really shut them down there.
The Rockets scored 79 in the first half. Lakers really shut them down there.
The Lakers' defense is getting shredded by the young, talented Rockets. LAL trails 78-60 at the half, with Dillon Brooks hitting back-to-back jumpers to end the 2nd Q after the Lakers had cut a 21-point deficit to 13
End of the first quarter: The Rockets beat the Lakers 13-2 on fast breaks, and 26-12 for points in the paint. That, kids, is a recipe for disaster. AK
First quarter: Rockets 42, Lakers 31 LA had a strong start to the quarter before rookie Cam Whitmore took over. Whitmore, who the Lakers passed on drafting at No. 17, scored the final 12 points of the quarter for Houston to propel them to a double-digit lead. DLo has 13 points.
Rookie Cam Whitmore scored the final 12 points of the quarter for the Rockets, on three dunks and 2 triples, against just 2 points for LAL in that stretch as LeBron and AD both sat, allowing the Rockets a 42-31 lead.
Houston starts 6 for 7 from the field with LAL's starters not providing a ton of early resistance defensively. D'Angelo Russell has 7 points, on a pair of jumpers and 2 FT's, to keep LAL within range at 15-10.
Per the Lakers, same starting lineup as before. Russell/Reaves/Prince/LeBron/Davis. AK @ESPNLosAngeles @LockedOnLakers
The Lakers’ starters in Houston: D’Angelo Russell Austin Reaves Taurean Prince LeBron James Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis and LeBron James will play in tonight’s game at Houston, per the Lakers. #Lakeshow @SportingTrib
Tonight’s starting lineups for the #Lakers vs. #Rockets: @SportingTrib https://t.co/J8WPPXR2Cl
Tonight’s starting lineups for the #Lakers vs. #Rockets: https://t.co/LHlrFa3jgl
Anthony Davis and LeBron James will play in tonight’s game at Houston, per the Lakers. #Lakeshow
Anthony Davis and LeBron James will play in tonight’s game at Houston. #Lakeshow
LeBron and AD are both officially available to play in Houston.
Darvin Ham says that Anthony Davis will “in all likelihood” play tonight after experiencing hip discomfort last game in GSW. Ham said the team will determine the plan for AD and LeBron James’ status for the back-to-back in Atlanta after the Houston game is over.
Darvin Ham said he expects that Anthony Davis will be available tonight; we’ll get the official announcement after his warm up.
Darvin Ham says Anthony Davis is going through his pregame process and “in all likelihood” will be available tonight vs. Houston.
Lakers at Rockets - Three Things to Know, my latest for https://t.co/Foae8a7xEy: https://t.co/jcLFbqarGB
Houston Rockets Vs Los Angeles Lakers Game Preview https://t.co/xwF4KikC45 via @DreamShakeSBN
Rockets vs. Lakers: Five things to watch as Houston begins a 3-game homestand https://t.co/V6XVwjDF2o