Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets: Live Score, Highlights and Reaction
James Harden scored 30 points, Dwight Howard added 18 points and 12 rebounds and the Houston Rockets routed the Los Angeles Lakers, 126-97, on Saturday night at the Toyota Center.
The win by the Rockets puts them at .500 (12-12) for the first time since they were 4-4.
Houston got off to a quick start in this game, taking a 51-29 lead at one point during the second quarter. However, the Lakers embarked on a 13-0 run, led by Kobe Bryant who scored 11 points during the rally.
The Rockets would close out the half strong, though, and took a 63-46 lead into the locker room.
Los Angeles actually hung around for a bit in the third quarter, outscoring Houston 30-28 in the period, but the Rockets put the contest out of reach in the fourth period.
Houston outscored LA 35-21 over the final 12 minutes, getting solid contributions from Marcus Thornton and Donatas Motiejunas off the bench.
Thornton scored 18 points in total, and Motiejunas chipped in 11.
Bryant led the Lakers with 25 points off 9-of-16 shooting in what was probably his best game of the season. He added seven rebounds and six assists.
The Rockets shot 52.2 percent from the floor and made 15 of their 33 three-point attempts.
The Lakers shot just 39.8 percent and committed 19 turnovers.
Next up for Los Angeles is a home meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Houston will head over to the Mile High City to take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
