The Houston Rockets (18-4) secured their seventh consecutive victory against the Los Angeles Lakers (8-15). At the 118:95-Blowout (BOXSCORE) it’s once again James Harden who dominates offensively. In the beginning, the Lakers-Bigs caused quite a stir.
It took a while for the rockets to arrive correctly in the game. First and foremost, it was the Lakers’ Big Men who left their mark on the game – at least until Eric Gordon proved why he is once again one of the best sixth men in the league this year.
The Shooting Guard kept the rockets in the beginning almost alone in the game, as James Harden caught fire in the second quarter, the guests sat down for the first time with 15 points until halftime (61:46). However, in the third section the throwing rhythm of the guests was lost again. Once again it was the Big Man of the Lakers who, with the active support of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (16 points), brought the hosts up to 3 points in the meantime.
In the end,”The Beard” was too much for the hosts. Harden led his team with a total of 36 points (13/22 FG), 9 assists and 4 rebounds to a 20-point lead in the middle of the final section, from which Los Angeles was unable to recover. Chris Paul contributed 21 points and 6 assists, Gordon scored 22 points.
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Top scorer of the Lakers was Kyle Kuzma. The rookie had a strong double-double (22 points, 12 rebounds), but he collected most of his counters in the garbage time. Previously Brandon Ingram (18 points, 9 Rebounds, 5 Assists) and Larry Nance Jr. (15 points, 8 Rebounds) performed well.
On the other hand, Lonzo Ball’s performance was disappointing. The Point Guard was allowed only 22 minutes and scored 2 points (0/4 FG), 3 assists and 3 ball losses. Jordan Clakrson (5 points, 1/9 FG) also had a pitch black evening. The Lakers suffered their fifth consecutive defeat, while Houston left the floor as the winner for the seventh time in a row.
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James Harden. When the Lakers fought their way back to batting distance, it was “The Beard”who took responsibility. Harden left a few possibilities of downtown, but with his seemingly unstoppable move to the basket he overpowered the Lakers-Defense again and again. In addition to his scoring, he also convinced as a playmaker and put the other players in the limelight.
The backcourt of the Lakers. Apart from Caldwell-Pope, who made a strong appearance overall, there was not much to see of the Lakers’ guards. Especially Lonzo Ball and Jordan Clarkson disappointed all along the line. Ball did not sink any of his throws and distributed only 3 assists (at 3 turnovers). Clarkson also did not get any better (5 points, 1/9 FG, 1 assist, 4 ball losses).
Despite the initial dominance of the Lakers-Bigs, it was the smaller lineups that made Houston successful. On the one hand, they made the much-needed Spacing in the Rockets-Offense possible – even if the threesome didn’t want to fall as usual, the shooters still posed a constant danger – and on the other hand the rockets convinced defensively at the Small Ball. The guests knew how to close the zone with a good help defense, but at the same time they forced a total of 21 turnovers thanks to their aggressiveness. Houston used it directly for 27 of their own counters.