Rockets Come Up Short, 140-132, Fall to LeBron’s Lakers
Better Effort. Showtime Sengun. Learning Lessons.
Compared to the first three games on this road trip, the Rockets actually made their latest loss, 140-132, to the Lakers, a relatively competitive contest for the majority of Monday night. Houston trailed by 12 points at halftime, but then roared back in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 4 points heading into the fourth quarter. Too much LeBron James, who had a season-high 48 points, and Russell Westbrook, who contributed 24 points off the bench, ultimately prevented a Rockets comeback. Alperen Sengun had the game of his life on MLK day. Sengun scored a career-high 33 points on 14-for-17 shooting. Houston’s sensational big man also registered 15 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks on the evening.
Sengun was unstoppable, even drawing the lure of LeBron James when he had the ball late in the game. The Turkish big man was putting everyone else in the mixer. That’s a huge compliment for Sengun that King James finally decided to guard him when the game was on the line. If only the Rockets would utilize Sengun more often in the offense. This game should be an average game for Sengun, but because he’s rarely used efficiently in Stephen Silas’ offense, this performance is merely an outlier for now, until the coach shows more confidence in him. The secret is already out: Sengun is the best player on this team, at least right now. He almost single-handedly kept Houston within striking distance against the Lake Show. After a slow start, Jalen Green finished with 23 points, but continues searching for consistency with his shot. KJ Martin had 17 points in another stellar outing as a starter, but overall the Rockets were dominated by LeBron and the Lakers late in the clutch when the game was on the line. James had one of his best performances of the year as he made sure Houston’s losing streak didn’t end in his house.
Up next, Houston travels home for one game to host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday before heading on the road again. Hopefully, the Rockets took some learning lessons from LeBron and the LakeShow in the Monday night loss. The Hornets have the worst record in the East, and if the Rockets can beat them, they will move ahead of them in the overall league standings. Regardless, it will be a battle of the NBA’s worst teams record-wise. Wednesday’s game will need to be one for the ages if it wants to draw comparisons to what we witnessed in Hollywood on Monday.