The Los Angeles Lakers finally came home to Crypto.com Arena after a road trip that featured high highs and low lows.
The Lakers were coming off a dispiriting loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but fortunately they were able to right the ship with a much-needed win over the Houston Rockets. Houston has played Los Angeles tough during the 2023-24 season, but it was the purple and gold who controlled the game for most of the evening.
First quarters have been a struggle for the Lakers this season, and their slow start had them trailing to the Rockets. However, the second quarter was a completely different story as they played near-flawless basketball on both ends to take the lead and never looked back.
Anthony Davis had the roughest start of the team as he missed his first six shots from the field before D’Angelo Russell found him underneath for a dunk. Shortly after, though, Davis rediscovered his scoring touch as he was able to shoot over the undersized Houston roster.
The star big man paced Los Angeles in scoring and rebounding with 27 points and 14 boards, but he also added three assists and five blocks for good measure.
Like Davis, Austin Reaves had a tough time shooting the basketball in the first quarter as he missed his first three shots. However, almost like he flipped a switch, Reaves instantly caught fire from the field as he was aggressive getting to the rim and had his jumper going.
Reaves made several flashy plays to ignite their large second quarter run and he wound up leading the bench with 18 points to go along with four rebounds, one assist and three steals.
LeBron James always seems to relish his matchup with Dillon Brooks, and the King made sure the Lakers had the last laugh as he bullied his way to the rim for several easy scores.
James had the highlight of the night as he drove baseline and converted an amazing 360 layup that got the bench and crowd up on their feet.
Jarred Vanderbilt made his long-awaited 2023-24 season debut and was eased into the action off the bench. Vanderbilt played 14 minutes and failed to score, but he still gave the team his usual mix of defense and hustle.
What’s next for Lakers
Los Angeles gets a few days of rest before they host the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament. If the Lakers win, they’ll move on to play in the semifinals on Thursday hosted in Las Vegas.
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