The Lakers were up to 24 points ahead in a controlled game from start to finish against the Young Rockets. LeBron James (15 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 steals), Anthony Davis (16 points, 13 rebounds), and Russell Westbrook end the game 22/58 on shots but the Lakers’ defense left no chance for Houston.
Frank Vogel’s tactical choice to shift Anthony Davis to the pivot position has worked wonderfully for the Lakers. They started the game on a 21-10 and never looked back. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook had 11 of their team’s 14 assists at halftime and they easily played on the Rockets’ inexperience to allow their teammates to return to the locker room with a 19-point lead (54-35) .
Houston returned to -11 in the third quarter and -10 at the end of the game under the impetus of Eric Gordon (17 points), Kevin Porter Jr (13 points, 9 rebounds), and Christian Wood (16 points , 13 rebounds) but the 27 lost balls allowed Los Angeles to finish the job to slip away for a second victory in a row at home.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Change of starting five for Frank Vogel. With only three wins in the first six games, the Lakers coach decided to change his mind and shift Anthony Davis to pivot and promote the starting Avery Bradley, seen to his advantage against Cleveland, to face the Rockets. This five to one inside allowed Los Angeles to get a lot of open shots early in the game, all causing 8 lost balls and limiting Houston to 27% on shots in a first quarter one-way (27 -15).
– Carmelo Anthony still on fire. On a 3-point 6 of 8 in the last few games, Carmelo Anthony continued his momentum by finishing the halftime 5 of 8 behind. Like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony had fun facing the Young Rockets to find open shot after open shot.
– 20 more shots for the Lakers. Despite his clumsiness, Los Angeles finished the game with 20 more attempts than his opponent! The Rockets have indeed lost 27 balls, offering 32 points to the Lakers. Kevin Porter Jr, Jalen Green, and Alperen Sengun lost 14 of their balls.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Russell Westbrook. With 20 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, the leader of the Lakers was in the oven and the mill and without mercy against the pair Porter Jr – Green. Russell Westbrook was clumsy but he made up for it with increased activity to delight the Staples Center.
✅ Carmelo Anthony. As pointed out above, Carmelo Anthony confirmed his good strength of the moment by finishing the game with the best scorer of the match (23 points), thanks to a 5 of 8 away. He has scored 17 3-pointers in the last three games with 71% success.
⛔ Jalen Green. The rookie continues his tough apprenticeship in the NBA. Against the veterans of the Lakers, he was transparent in attack and on the street defensively. He only scored one of his six attempts and lost four balls.
THE FOLLOWING
Lakers (4-3) : Los Angeles will have the chance to pick up their third and fourth straight wins by playing Houston again at home on Tuesday, before ending their four-game streak at Staples Center defying the Thunder.
Rockets (1-5) : Houston has four tough away games against the Lakers, Suns, Nuggets, and Warriors.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
