With Anthony Davis joining Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jalen Hood-Schifino on the inactive list with a left adductor/hip spasm, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Houston Rockets on the road Wednesday night looking for their first road win of the season.
Despite only missing two starters, the Lakers still managed to lose by a lopsided score of 128-94.
The Lakers, without Davis, started off slowly as expected, allowing the Rockets to score the game’s opening eight points before D’Angelo Russell finally got L.A. on the board with a layup.
Early on, the Rockets jumped out to a 17-7 lead with to three-pointers from Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. For the sixth time in their last eight games, the Lakers started the game behind by double digits.
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From there, however, LeBron James went on the offensive, attacking Brooks for a midrange basket and then earning a charge on the other end.
Rui Hachimura, who had been out for four games with a concussion, returned to action for the Lakers. He was substituted in and immediately assisted on Russell’s goal. He also made a 3-pointer later in the quarter despite the Lakers struggled as a whole offensively and headed into the second behind 32-19.
Not much changed for the Lakers early in the second quarter as they continued to labored on the glass and at the free throw line, which was the case in the first.
James assisted Hachimura on a pair of layups, but Houston’s lead ballooned to 47-29 when Jalen Green scored five consecutive points. The Lakers finally got on the board when Taurean Prince made a 3-pointer, but Draymond Green quickly countered with his own 3-pointer.
The Lakers’ defense had been shaky all half, and they trailed 66-45 at halftime.
It would have been imperative for the Lakers to mount a comeback effort early in the third quarter. While Green and the Rockets stayed red hot, the Lakers struggled to get anything going offensively.
Midway through the third quarter, LeBron did his bit by charging the basket and converting a three-point play to restore a 20-point deficit.
The Rockets maintained a commanding lead of 99-71 after three quarters, responding quickly each time the Lakers threatened to close the gap.
Darvin Ham gave up on the game early, effectively sealing the Lakers’ fate, as they went on to lose handily.
