The Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers handily to win their fourth straight game.
THOMAS โ It’s possible that fans inside the Toyota Center came to see LeBron James, a future Hall of Famer. Rather, Jalen Green’s show was shown to them. With a team-high 28 points on 11 of 15 shots, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc, Green helped the Houston Rockets defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 128-94.
After Alperen \engรผn made a reverse layup at 11:33 in the opening quarter, the Rockets took an 8-0 lead into the game. The Rockets had a 32-19 advantage going into the second quarter as a result of their explosive start. And Sengun added another layup to push the Rockets’ advantage to 20 at 6:58 in the second quarter.
Green led the Rockets to a 66-45 lead at the half thanks to his 18 first-half points.
Four players for Houston scored in double figures in addition to Green. ลengรผn contributed four assists, seven rebounds, and 19 points. Along with six rebounds, Jabari Smith Jr. contributed twelve. Coming off the bench, Jae’Sean Tate scored 14 points.
James had a quiet night, scoring just 18 points (7-of-13 FG, 0-2 3PT) and pulling down six rebounds in the defeat. When James scored nine points in the third quarter, it was the closest thing fans could have seen of him at his peak. With 24 points, Rui Hachimura led the Lakers in scoring. In the defeat, D’Angelo Russell scored 22 more points.Tari Eason debuts for the season:
With a stress reaction in his left leg, second-year forward Tari Eason missed the first six games of the season. Against the Lakers, he made his debut. In the victory, he contributed nine points and nine rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
Eason first suffered the injury on October 10 during the Rockets’ preseason game against the Indiana Pacers.
Friday night marks the start of the Rockets’ seven-game homestand against the New Orleans Pelicans in their inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Denver Nuggets will be their opponent on Sunday in the last game of their homestand. The Rockets and Pelicans are scheduled to tip play inside the Toyota Center at 7 p.m. CDT.