James Harden Scores 40, Suffers Injury as Rockets Outlast Lakers in Double OT
January 1, 2018
The Houston Rockets stormed back from an 11-point deficit after three quarters to score a 148-142 double-overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on New Year's Eve at the Toyota Center in Houston.
NBA scoring leader James Harden tallied 40 points and 11 assists before leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter as the Rockets went on to snap a five-game losing streak. Chris Paul added 28 points and 10 dimes in his second game back from a groin injury, while Eric Gordon chipped in 14 points off the bench.
The Lakers, who were without Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brook Lopez, got 29 points and 15 rebounds from Julius Randle. Josh Hart provided a spark with a career-high 26 points and fellow rookie Kyle Kuzma continued his strong play with 23 points, five boards and three assists.
The first quarter looked more like an All-Star Game than the regular season as the teams combined for 81 points thanks to a lot of high-flying offense and shaky defense.
Los Angeles managed to pull away before halftime as the typically dependable Rockets offense went cold. They finished the opening 24 minutes shooting 28 percent from beyond than arc (7-of-25). The Lakers also held a 27-12 rebounding edge to help build a seven-point lead at the break.
Adam Clanton of KBME spotlighted Houston's defensive woes:
L.A. stretched its lead to 11 after the third quarter, but the Rockets opened the fourth period with a 7-0 run to get back in the contest.
Although the Lakers held off the comeback attempt for nearly the entire quarter, leading by as much as six with 2:13 left in regulation, the Rockets clawed back even with 17 seconds left on a clutch three-pointer by Gerald Green to tie it at 122-122.
The Rockets highlighted the key shot:
Both teams failed to capitalize on their final possessions in the fourth—Kuzma missed a three for L.A. and Houston couldn't get off a shot—sending the game to overtime.
The first OT couldn't solve the deadlock. Paul gave the Rockets a lead with four seconds left, but Brandon Ingram stepped to the foul line and knocked down two free throws to tie the game again.
Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times joked about the seemingly never-ending contest:
PJ Tucker, who fouled Ingram late in the first overtime, came up big to secure the win for Houston in the second OT. He put back an offensive rebound off a Paul miss to give the Rockets a lead and then blocked a Kuzma three-point attempt in the final seconds.
Paul nailed four late free throws to clinch the hard-earned victory for Houston.
Shahan Ahmed of NBC LA discussed the importance of CP3:
Looking ahead, the Rockets (26-9) return to action Wednesday night with a road game against the Orlando Magic before returning home for a marquee battle with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle noted Harden suffered a strained left hamstring. So his availability for those upcoming games isn't immediately clear.
The Lakers (11-24) are right back on the floor Monday night for a New Year's Day contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the organization's original home, Minneapolis.