After losing by 34 points in Houston earlier this month, LeBron James and the Lakers gained some revenge on the Rockets in a 105-104 victory during Sunday’s rematch in Los Angeles.
The earlier victory by the Rockets (6-5) was far more convincing, but it’s worth noting Los Angeles (8-6) didn’t have star big man in that first game. This time, they did, and he finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds on 11-of-15 shooting (73.3%) from the field.
But the dominant force was James, who remains an MVP candidate and arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time. On Sunday, James led the Lakers with 37 points and 8 assists while shooting 14-of-19 overall (73.7%) and 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40.0%), and the foul he drew with 1.9 seconds left led to a winning free throw.
That was just enough to hold off young center Alperen Sengun, veteran wing Dillon Brooks, and the rest of a pesky Houston group. Sengun, who leads the Rockets in scoring and rebounds this season, finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 11-of-16 from the field (68.8%) and 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%).
The Rockets were plus-21 in the Turkish big man’s 31 minutes, and he tied the game late by scoring over James with 4.0 seconds left.
Meanwhile, Brooks finished with a team-high 24 points and 4 steals. He shot 9-of-21 overall (42.9%) and 6-of-11 on 3-pointers (54.5%).
In postgame comments, James had kind things to say about both players. Here’s a look at his quotes, along with full interview video.