After starting the new year with back-to-back wins at home, the Los Angeles Lakers went on the road to face the Houston Rockets on Sunday evening.
The Rockets presented a good challenge for the Lakers as one of the best young teams in the league. In fact, they showed how much work the Lakers still have to do as Houston went up big early and hung on for a 119-115 victory at Toyota Center.
It was a back-and-forth game to begin with Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves getting off to hot starts for the Lakers in Houston. The speed and athleticism of Amen Thompson and Jalen Green were giving the Lakers some issues though with the latter also getting hot from beyond the arc.
Green wound up having 18 points in the first quarter alone as the Rockets opened up a double digit lead with a run to end the first, capping it off with a triple to beat the buzzer and take a 36-22 lead going into the second.
Not only could the Lakers not make a shot, but they were getting outhustled by the young Rockets as their lead continued to grow. L.A.’s deficit got to 22 before guys started to lock in with Max Christie finishing a pair of buckets inside and then a deep 3.
Offensive rebounds and missed free throws plagued the Lakers in the first half, and Houston made them pay with some triples to end the half to get their lead back up to 67-49 going into the locker room.
The Lakers had back-to-back air balls to begin the third quarter although Reaves and LeBron James then both hit two 3s each to slowly get the deficit back to single digits. With Anthony Davis getting in on the action from deep, the Rockets took a timeout with their lead cut to five.
James had some heroics from deep and the Lakers closed the quarter strong, going into the fourth as close as they had been all night at 91-89 after Davis earned some free throws. L.A. had 40 points in the third quarter alone.
Houston regained its composure with an 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter, forcing a quick Lakers timeout. Dorian Finney-Smith ended the run with a 3-pointer and then Hachimura hit one as well. After a putback by Davis, L.A. was back within five.
A three-point play by Finney-Smith got it to two before the Rockets got another putback dunk to respond. The Lakers fought until the very end but were never able to get over the hump, suffering the loss. They had a chance to tie it in the final seconds but Christie threw the ball away.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will stay in Texas to play the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night before returning home and hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
