On Christmas Day, the Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-96 in a game that showed how different the two teams were in terms of strength and skill. The Rockets never fell behind and built leads of up to 24 points. Amen Thompson scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out five assists. Six Rockets players scored in double figures, which was too much for the Lakers, who needed Luka Doncic’s 25 points and LeBron James’ 18.
Houston crushed the glass 48-25 overall and 17-7 on offensive boards. Alperen Sengun grabbed 12 rebounds by himself, which was the same number as the Lakers’ starting lineup. This edge led to 68 paint points for the Rockets and 52 for LA. Missed shots became second-chance daggers that ended any hopes of a comeback.
The Rockets’ bench and depth shone, with a +29 plus/minus in key stretches. Kevin Durant added 25 points and nine assists to Thompson’s explosion. Lakers stars Doncic and James had nine turnovers and only 43 points. They couldn’t keep up with Houston’s balanced attack, which had six players scoring in double digits.
Furthermore, Both teams turned the ball over 16 times, but Houston turned the Lakers’ mistakes into 23 points, more than double LA’s total, which led to 16 fast-break scores. Live-ball turnovers by Doncic and James kept the Rockets’ runs going, stopping the Lakers’ momentum after short rallies.
Houston started the third quarter with an 18-5 run, shooting over 60% to turn a 10-point halftime lead into a 23-point lead. The Lakers only scored 22 points. James only scored eight points in the first half, so Doncic had to do most of the work against a tough defense.
However, The Rockets got 19 free throws (15 made) to the Lakers’ 11 (seven made). This was because Houston was more aggressive at the rim and committed fewer fouls, which kept them in attack mode. This small lead grew into a big one because every possession made the young Rockets want to win more than the inconsistent Lakers.
