Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Los Angeles Lakers used a last-minute rally to knock off the Houston Rockets, 98-92, Thursday at the Toyota Center.
The Lakers prevailed by winning the battle on the boards. They won the offensive rebounding battle 14-6 and took 17 more shots from the field.
The Lakers are now 2-0 with Kobe Bryant and Nick Young in the lineup.
| Kobe Bryant | C |
| Jeremy Lin | F |
| Carlos Boozer | C+ |
| Nick Young | C |
| Jordan Hill | B |
| Rest of Team | B+ |
| James Harden | A- |
| Kostas Papanikolaou | B+ |
| Trevor Ariza | C- |
| Patrick Beverley | C |
| Rest of Team | D |
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant: C
Another night, another game of Kobe Bryant casting off. He took a game-high 28 shots, connecting on just 10 on the way to 29 points.
On one possession after another, Kobe dribbled around the perimeter for a while before launching a long two-pointer, never even looking at his teammates.
The Lakers are now 1-9 when Bryant attempts at least 20 field goals.
Jeremy Lin: F
Jeremy Lin simply could not find any kind of rhythm on offense. In New York and Houston, it was clear that he was most effective as the primary ball-handler. That's proving to be true in L.A. as well.
As Kobe dominates the ball, Lin is generally left standing around. On the off possessions he did get a shot, he just missed. Nights like this, 1-of-5 for three points, won't be terribly uncommon in this system.
Carlos Boozer: C+
The blogosphere has been brutal to Carlos Boozer over the past few years, but he deserves some credit for how hard he plays for this Lakers team.
He clearly knows a lot of his touches will come from offensive rebounds, and he fights to grab as many as he can. He finished with three offensive boards, 13 total, to go with his 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Nick Young: C
Nick Young's return sparked the Lakers in a win over the Atlanta Hawks, but the fire appears to have gone out. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
It becomes some kind of performance art to see him on the floor with Kobe, as both hunt mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper.
It's hard to imagine sustaining any kind of success when your top two scorers play this brand of basketball, but L.A.'s 2-0 with it.
Jordan Hill: B
While Bryant's gotten all of the attention for the Lakers, Jordan Hill's been solid as a rock. He posted another double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
At one point in the third quarter he hit three straight mid-range jumpers that helped the Lakers capture a little bit of momentum and get back in the game.
Rest of Team: B+
Wesley Johnson may have had a bigger positive impact on this game than any Laker. He almost single-handedly won the game in the last 20 seconds.
First, Johnson got an offensive rebound after a bad shot by Kobe. He was fouled and hit both free throws, putting the Lakers up one. On the next possession, he picked Harden clean and then converted a three-point play in transition.
Ed Davis had another solid outing as well, continuing to strengthen his case for starting over Boozer. In 18 minutes, he had 11 rebounds and six points on 3-of-5 shooting.
Houston Rockets
James Harden: A-
For basically 36 of the 37 minutes he was on the floor, James Harden was excellent. But two key turnovers down the stretch pretty much gave the Lakers the game.
Such is the nature of basketball.
You can't pin the loss on him, though. Without Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones, Harden kept the Rockets in the game almost by himself.
He scored 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting, dished out seven assists and grabbed four rebounds.
Kostas Papanikolaou: B+
He's already being called the Greek Manu, and Kostas Papanikolaou is really starting to earn that moniker. He filled in nicely for the missing starters, scoring 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and grabbing six rebounds.
Papanikolaou looks like the perfect cog for this system that relies so heavily on threes and shots at the rim. He hit four of four three-point attempts and got to the rim using craftiness on his other nine shots.
Trevor Ariza: C-
Trevor Ariza's been an important addition for the Rockets this season, hitting some timely threes and playing solid defense. But when his shots aren't falling, he has a hard time impacting the game in other ways.
He went 3-of-9 from long range on the way to 13 points. He also grabbed seven boards.
Patrick Beverley: C
For the second time this season, Patrick Beverley completely locked Lin up. His defense is something the Rockets can count on every night, but he really struggles on the other end.
He scored 15 points, but it took him 13 shots to get there. Any time Beverley is tied for the team lead in shots, things probably aren't running smoothly for Houston.
Rest of Team: D
Tarik Black started in place of Howard and was solid on the boards, grabbing nine total. Offensively, he's a few years away from even being rough. He finished 2-of-6 for five points and took a terrible contested hook with time winding down in the fourth that really hurt the Rockets.
Jason Terry and Francisco Garcia struggled off the bench as well. The two combined for eight points while shooting 2-of-8 from three-point range.
Coming Up Next
The Lakers will continue their road trip against the Dallas Mavericks, Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Rockets will then get the Mavs on the second night of a back-to-back, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
