NBA

Rockets Burst Out To Big Win Over Lakers

The injured and depleted Los Angeles Lakers walked into an ambush and lacked the resources to fight back

James Harden led the Houston Rockets with 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds in 30 minutes, as the Houston Rockets exploded past the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night in Texas.

The Lakers failed to offer any resistance to Harden and the Rockets, as the home team scored 43 points in the opening quarter and led by as many as 18 points fewer than 12 minutes into the game.

One may not be able to win a game in the first quarter, but the Lakers sure seemed to lost Wednesday's game in those first 12 minutes. While the Lakers cut the lead back to single digits in the second quarter, the halftime deficit stood at 12, and that was after Lou Williams hit three-quarter court shot.

Entering the locker room, the Rockets had already scored 67 points, as defense had taken the night off. LA's 55 points would have been adequate on just about any other night, but facing Mike D'Antoni's Rockets, that points struggled to keep fans from flipping the channel at halftime.

In the quarter, the lead jumped up to the 30-point range, as the Rockets had already scored 106 points with 12 minutes remaining on the game clock. Eventually, the final buzzer sounded and the short-handed Lakers lost 134-95.

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LA committed 27 turnovers on the night, with Williams and Marcelo Huertas each giving the ball away six times. Houston shot 54.3 percent from the field compared to LA's 39.1 percent, and the Rockets assisted on 35 of their 51 made field goals. LA only assists on 14 of its 34 made field goals.

The Rockets beat the Lakers in seemingly every statistical category, save for free throw percentage and blocks. LA shot 0.5 percent better than the Rockets from the foul line.

At one point in the fourth quarter, the Rockets led by 42 points. So, this is one to forget for the purple and gold. With the loss, the Lakers fell to 10-14, while the Rockets improved to 15-7 with the win.

Next, the Lakers play the Phoenix Suns at home on Friday night at Staples Center.

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