The absence of Anthony Davis, injured in the hip against Miami, did not take long to be felt by the Lakers. They started the game very badly and the Rockets took advantage to go 8-0. The Californians are very messy and are already significantly behind after just one quarter (32-19).
As against Orlando, LeBron James and his gang try a zone defense. The All-Star often forces himself in attack and it’s better when he finds Rui Hachimura, who does simple things. Jalen Green had a little heat in the second quarter and, at halftime, Houston had complete control of the match (66-45).
Nothing changes after the break, despite LeBron James’ efforts. The Rockets unfold their basketball and find open 3-point shots. It falls in and we head towards the 30 point gap. Jalen Green does the show again and twelve minutes from the end, the match is over (99-71). Darvin Ham therefore opens his bench and his team logically and heavily loses 128-94 against a formation that is too solid.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Rockets, good students. 54% shooting success, 42% at 3-points, only eleven balls lost. Little waste in this Rockets performance. The ball circulates very well, there is patience to take the right shots and inevitably, it pays off. If we add a defense that is still strong for a few days, then the gap is fair, as Houston played a very, very good match.
– The Lakers too messy. As in Orlando, the Los Angeles team came across a formation that knew how to limit errors. While the Lakers do a lot. Austin Reaves crosses out his copy a lot, with choices that are not always judicious and even LeBron James is also sometimes uninspired. Christian Wood contributed nothing and the bench was poor, only saved by the performance of Rui Hachimura. After five defeats, Los Angeles is still waiting for an away victory.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅Jalen Green. The Houston guard experienced two hot spells, in the second and then third quarters where he scored points in a few moments. He took open 3-point shots, which explains his 5/6 in this exercise. Then he concluded his performance with two superb penetrations at the end of the third quarter, to finish with 28 points at 11/15 on the shoot. There was nothing to throw away.
✅D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. In this bad evening for the Lakers, we must nevertheless highlight their performances. The leader weighed offensively, especially in the third quarter. He wasn’t always fair but tried to wake up his team (with three blocks too) by scoring 22 points. The Japanese was undoubtedly the only one to do simple things. Very clean and often in motion where the attack lacked rhythm, he scored 24 points at 10/14 shooting, with 8 rebounds.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
