The road woes continued Saturday for the Rockets (8-9), who are now 0-8 outside of Houston after a 107-97 loss (box score) to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (12-9) at the Crypto.com Arena.
Star big man Anthony Davis led the hosts with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, shooting 10-of-22 from the field (45.5%) and 7-of-9 (77.8%) on free throws. Los Angeles led convincingly for most of the second half, with Houston eating into the final margin late.
For the Rockets, Saturday’s individuals of note included:
- Alperen Sengun: 21 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals; 8-of-25 shooting (32.0%), 3-of-8 o 3-pointers (37.5%)
- Fred VanVleet: 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds; 7-of-15 shooting (46.7%), 4-of-7 on 3-pointers (57.1%)
- Jalen Green: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 6 turnovers; 4-of-15 shooting (26.7%), 1-of-6 on 3-pointers (16.7%)
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals; 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), 0-of-3 on 3-pointers
Lakers superstar LeBron James finished with 16 points (41.2% FG), 7 rebounds, 5 turnovers, and one technical foul, which he picked up during a fourth-quarter exchange with Ime Udoka. Houston’s head coach picked up his own technical foul as part of the sequence and was ejected, since it was his second for the game.
In postgame comments, Udoka downplayed the ejection and instead focused his frustration on his team’s performance.
“Probably our poorest overall game, as far as effort and attention to detail,” Udoka said of the Rockets, who have lost six of eight games. “I didn’t love our physicality. To kind of get punked by a team that’s not known for physicality or punking people… is not a good sign. We had some early success, and maybe it went to guys’ heads.”
Here’s our look at highlights and postgame interviews after Saturday’s late game in Los Angeles, along with reaction by media members and fans. With a three-game road trip complete, Houston now returns home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (13-6) , with Wednesday’s tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.