James Harden, Rockets Breeze Past Lakers as Lonzo Ball Fails to Make Field Goal
The Houston Rockets are championship contenders, and the Los Angeles Lakers are far from it. That was perfectly clear Sunday during Houston's commanding 118-95 victory at Staples Center.
James Harden bolstered his early MVP candidacy with 36 points and nine assists, while fellow guards Eric Gordon (22 points) and Chris Paul (21 points and six assists) provided plenty of support.
It was the type of backcourt firepower Los Angeles was missing when rookie Lonzo Ball managed a mere two points and three assists on 0-of-4 shooting from the field. He was nowhere to be found on the floor in the fourth quarter as the superior side pulled away.
As a result, the red-hot Rockets are now 18-4 following their seventh straight win and sitting atop the Western Conference. The slumping Lakers fell to 8-15 with their fifth straight loss.
While Los Angeles received solid efforts from Kyle Kuzma (22 points and 12 rebounds), Brandon Ingram (18 points, nine rebounds and five assists) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (16 points), the primary storyline entering the contest was the matchup between Ball and the Rockets guards.
Ball figures to have better nights as he garners more experience, but he was overmatched against some of the best the league has to offer. Skip Bayless of FS1 didn't hold back when assessing his performance:
Los Angeles couldn't have realistically expected him to match or surpass Harden's contributions, especially with Paul defending him for stretches.
Paul is no longer in the middle of his prime, but he is still a nine-time member of an All-Defensive team and a difficult matchup for any young point guard. As if that weren't enough on the defensive end, Paul drilled two straight three-pointers to open the fourth quarter and push Houston's advantage from 12 to 18.
Ben DuBose of SportsTalk 790 in Houston summed up the proceedings:
Ball's struggles were difficult to overlook when discussing Los Angeles' showing, but it can at least take solace knowing some of the other youngsters performed well against top-notch competition.
Caldwell-Pope spearheaded a run in the third quarter to pull within three before Houston seized control for good. However, youth giveth and taketh away, which is one reason the Lakers finished with 20 turnovers and failed to generate sustained momentum with so many empty possessions.
Giving up those turnovers against a Houston group that is second in the league in offensive efficiency, per NBA.com, is asking for trouble, and the Harden, Paul and Gordon trio made the Lakers pay.
Paul—who was back in Staples Center where he played six seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers—made his significant impact early in the fourth, but Harden and Gordon carried the offense in the early going.
They each scored 20 points in the first half and led a 32-14 run to finish the second quarter, which turned a 32-29 Lakers advantage into a 61-46 halftime lead—which it never relinquished.
Michael Pina of Vice Sports pointed to how loaded Houston looked on the outside:
Gordon playing well adds another dimension to an already stacked offensive group. Los Angeles was forced to honor Houston's high-volume three-point offense and extend the defense, which opened plenty of lanes for Harden to penetrate and either finish at the rim or kick out to shooters.
That the Rockets shot a solid but unspectacular 37.8 percent from deep Sunday despite Harden's playmaking is an indication of just how dangerous they can be when more of their shots are falling. They left plenty of points on the board against a worse opponent and still managed a convincing victory, suggesting there is another level to find moving forward.
They will try to do just that when they continue their three-game road trip against the Utah Jazz on Thursday. Los Angeles starts a four-game road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers the same evening.
