LOS ANGELES, NOV 3 (US): The Lakers’ instant game with Houston was much tougher than the first meeting, and it wasn’t until Kevin Porter Jr.’s pointer appeared just before the bell.
Los Angeles went on to win a massive team game from the new Big Three.
LeBron James scored 14 of 30 points in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook added 27 points and the Lakers swept back-to-back games against the Rockets with a 119-117 win Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported.
Anthony Davis scored 27 points, nine rebounds and three blocking shots for the Lakers, who won three consecutive points and five of six after starting the restart season 0-2.
After dominating Sunday’s visit from Houston, L.A. struggled during the first half and fell by 11 points in the third quarter of the rematch before being pushed out by Westbrook and James for the win, who put L.A. ahead to stay while scoring 10 consecutive points halfway. The fourth quarter.
“It was almost the moment,” said James, who had a right ankle injury. “I just try to put in the best plays to help our team win.”
Rookie Galen Green scored 24 points for Houston, but the second overall pick was goalless in the second half until he hit 3 consecutive throws in the last minute, cutting the Lakers’ lead abruptly to one point with 8.2 seconds left. Owner Monk then made only one of the Lakers’ two free throws, but USC Producer Porter missed a step back 3 for Houston to finish it.
“I didn’t like how we played the first game, (but) we definitely grew up a lot,” Green said. “I think today we showed that we grew up and started playing as a team and trusting each other.”
James, Davis and Westbrook scored at least 20 points each for the first time in their fledgling partnership, while James added 10 assists and Westbrook contributed nine rebounds and seven assists. Carmelo Anthony also had another great performance off the bench, scoring three three-pointers while scoring 15 points.
Christian Wood scored 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Rockets, who lost five consecutive points and six of seven to begin this rebuilding season. Houston played an interesting role in two and a half quarters against the star-studded Lakers led by Wood and Jason Tate, who had 20 points.
“Like I said from the jump, we’re seeing growth,” Tate said. “We see that we feel more comfortable with each other. You see that we feel more comfortable in the system, and I think it will improve as the season progresses. … As long as we keep learning from game to game, we will see the results.”
Two nights after Los Angeles beat Houston on 85 points, the Rockets earned 70 first-half points for a modest effort in defense by the Lakers, whose continued defensive investment appears to be a problem this season for a veteran roster.
“All of their guys hit the ball really well,” Davis said. “Hats off to them. It’s a young team that comes in and plays with a lot of freedom, and the players can play. Sunday night, they didn’t take a lot of shots. Tonight they did.”
Alperin Shengun scored four points for Houston in the Turkish teenager’s first game in the NBA.
Hints
Rockets: Team Eric Gordon said he couldn’t play because of nausea. …German senior Daniel Theis was unable to play due to a painful right toe injury, forcing Houston to start 19-year-old Şengün in his first change of starting lineup this season. …Danwell House also sat with a sprain of his right foot.
Lakers: Dwight Howard missed his second game in a row with a stiff neck. …Wayne Ellington is in uniform again, but he has yet to play this season while recovering from a strain in his left hamstring. … With two steals, James (2077) passed Mookie Blaylock (2075) to finish 12th on the NBA career list. Karl Malone (2,085) is 11. … Westbrook scored his 22,000th point, becoming the 34th player in league history to achieve it.
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The unusual refereeing review decision late in the fourth quarter caused the Lakers to be outraged.
Officials took the Lakers two points off the board with 2:31 to play when they realized that the foul they described was only the Rockets’ fourth in the quarter, not the fifth. That means Kent Bazimore didn’t qualify for his two free throws — but as the Lakers pointed out, Los Angeles really lost possession because the game was already past that point.
“It’s definitely something the league should look at,” said Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “I understand the mentality of correcting it…but the league cannot give us back this possession. Very frustrated with that.”
Vogel, Pazimore, and Anthony all had technical errors due to the call controversy during the first half.
the following
Rockets: In the Suns on Thursday.
Lakers: Host Thunder on Thursday.