The Houston Rockets survived a second-half rally from the Los Angeles Lakers to win 119-115. The Rockets were dominant in the first half, even leading by 22 at one point. While the Lakers made a strong comeback in the second half, including a 40-point third quarter, it wasn't enough to overcome the strong performance of the Rockets on the night.
Jalen Green was the star of the show tonight, putting up 33 points (12-24 FG), six rebounds, four assists, and one block. Amen Thompson had a stellar night as well, putting up 23 points (11-19 FG), 16 rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Fred VanVleet contributed at a high level, with 15 points (5-11 FG), two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
The Los Angeles Lakers started the game rough but came back into it eventually. Anthony Davis continued his strong season, putting up 30 points (10-18 FG), 13 rebounds, two assists, and five blocks. LeBron James, despite his late-game turnover, had a positive outing, delivering 21 points (8-16 FG), 13 rebounds, nine assists, and one steal. As for Austin Reaves, he also had 21 points (6-13 FG), and 10 assists.
The Lakers made a comeback in the second half after being down by 22 in the first half. It was a resilient performance from the Lakers, who refused to die during the game. It was the last-second turnover from a side-out situation that would end up costing the Lakers, who still had a chance to tie the game with eight seconds left. The Lakers will be kicking themselves over the end of the game.
With that being said, here are three reasons why the Lakers lost to the Rockets:
Lakers Cost Themselves At The End
With eight seconds left in the game, the Lakers were down three points with possession and a side-out. This gave JJ Redick enough time to draw up a small play to get a three-point play to tie the game and then hope to guard the Rockets with the remaining time on the clock. Given how the Lakers had played, them tying the game was a real possibility.
However, when trying to get the ball to LeBron James, the Lakers turned the ball over, as Fred VanVleet swooped in and stole the ball, getting fouled instantly. VanVleet would go to the line to make one of two free throws, extending the lead to four points and putting the game on ice.
The Lakers will be kicking themselves for how they handled the final play of the game. They had a chance to tie the game, and pretty much had it set on a platter for them. But whether it was a bad play call from JJ Redick or a poor execution from the Lakers players on the court, the men in purple and gold will be furious about the end.
Lakers Can't Climb Out Of 22-Point Hole
The Los Angeles Lakers, as mentioned above, did not start the game well. At one point in the first half, the Lakers were down 22 to the Houston Rockets. While the Lakers did well in the second half to claw their way back into the game, including a 40-point third quarter, the Lakers could have made life easier for them by not falling so far behind in the first place.
The Lakers' inability to play consistent defense for four quarters of a game has been a regular problem for them. They are regularly unable to put all the pieces together across all games. And until they find a way to put it all together soon, this pattern will continue, and they will continue to make problems for themselves.
Going forward, Rob Pelinka needs to continue the strong work he started with the Dorian Finney-Smith trade and land some more strong wing defenders. The Lakers' weak defense is becoming a serious problem that is holding them back, and a trade for a strong center who can rim protect could turn their fortunes around.
Double-Digit Turnovers Haunt The Lakers
Tonight, the Lakers gave the ball up 10 times. The Lakers didn't just cost themselves a game with a turnover in the final seconds, but gave the ball up a lot, allowing the Rockets to capitalize regularly. What's worse is many of their turnovers came when they were on the cusp of taking the lead, thus setting them back.
The Los Angeles Lakers have historically struggled to mitigate their turnovers. But this season, under JJ Redick, they had shown genuine signs of improvement when it comes to handling and protecting the ball. The Lakers rank seventh in lowest turnovers by an NBA team this season, averaging 13.5 per game. Considering the Lakers have ranked much lower in years past, this is a sign of positive change.
For the Lakers, they need to address tonight's poor performance when it came to protecting the ball. It would not be hyperbolic to say that the Lakers cost themselves a win tonight with the way they turned the ball over. Things must change, and they must get better at protecting the ball.
JJ Redick will work the Lakers quite hard during their next practice session to make sure that they treat protecting the ball as a priority. This lackadaisical approach to possession has bitten them in the backside too many times now for it to go unaddressed.
The Lakers will travel to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night at 7 PM EST. With the Mavericks missing Luka Doncic, it presents the purple and gold boys a prime chance to pick up a big win over a conference rival, and turn things around. Now sitting at the fourth seed, the Lakers will want to secure their position near the top of the West.
