Rockets Washed Away by Lakers in Ugly 107-97 Loss
Crazy Eights. One Ugly Frame. Tossed Home.
As the Rockets prepped for their third battle with the Lakers, the squad had expectations of winning this contest, going up 2-1 in the season series. Sadly, Houston had one of their ugliest games of these season, as they fell the Lakers, 107-97, on Saturday night. The headline of this contest was a spat between Rockets Coach Ime Udoka and L.A.’s LeBron James. Both individuals were assessed technical fouls, but it was Udoka’s second, causing him to be ejected from the game. The contest was far out of hand by that point, as similar to their previous loss in Denver, this final score wasn’t indicative of how competitive (or in these cases not competitive) these games played out. Anthony Davis had a 27-point, 14-rebound double-double to lead L.A., Austin Reaves chipped in 18 points, as the Lakers were able to lighten James’ load for this contest. LeBron still contributed 16 points, but the season-high 37 he totaled in their previous win over Houston was necessary tonight. Fred VanVleet led the Rockets with 22 points and 7 assists. Alperen Sengun secured another double-double, registering 21 points and 13 boards, to go along with 5 assists. And Jalen Green’s inconsistency from the field continued as the guard struggled on the evening. Green scored only 10 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the floor. The Rockets need their young swingman to improve his efficiency if this team really wants to be taken seriously this season.
Houston actually led after the first period of this contest, 30-25, holding a five-point edge, and seemingly on their way to finally winning a road game. They actually outscored L.A. in every quarter but one. All it took was one ugly frame and the Rockets were out of this contest. The Lakers dominated the second period, outscoring Houston 35-14 en route to a 15-point half-time lead. It’s a deficit the Rockets would never overcome, as they suffered their 8th straight road loss, and remain winless away from home. Despite the final score, the after the Lakers seized control, Houston never threatened to overtake L.A.’s lead in this matchup. The Rockets ended the game on a 9-1 run to make their latest loss seem closer, but this is Houston’s worst loss of the season so far. They’ll look to get back on track as they return home for their next contest.
The Rockets have now lost eight straight road matches to start their season (all of them), yet have won eight straight games at home. It’s a crazy disparity for venues for this young Houston squad. Hopefully the team keeps rolling at home, but they’ve got a tough opponent once again at Toyota Center for their next matchup. The Oklahoma City Thunder come to town. OKC’s like a slightly older, more experience version of Houston, only they have the best player on the planet and MVP-frontrunner in my opinion, in Shae Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder also boast a variety of other weapons, and play hard every night. It’ll be a tough test for the Rockets, but one they should pass… if the sqaud returns to playing up to expectations.