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Los Angeles Lakers: Josh Hart quietly has great game against Rockets

By Nick Ziegler

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10: Josh Hart #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against the Houston Rockets on April 10, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10: Josh Hart #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against the Houston Rockets on April 10, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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In their second to last game of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Houston Rockets. However, in their final home game, there was a lot of excitement.

Despite Tuesday nights game meaning nothing to both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets, the Staples Center certainly had a buzz. 10-year G-League veteran Andre Ingram was making his NBA debut at the age of 32-years-old and that created a buzz around this game.

While we see stories like this happen in baseball from time to time, this was an oddity for the NBA. Ingram received a good amount of National spotlight, as this was certainly a feel-good story.

Despite probably playing with a ton of nerves, Ingram was able to perform extremely well in his NBA debut. In the loss to the Rockets, Ingram totaled 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. As a great shooter in the G-League, Ingram was able to carry that over into the NBA.

While the play of Ingram took all of the spotlight, and for good reason, the Lakers also saw rookie Josh Hart have a very strong game. With injuries to Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma, it has not been an easy end to the season for the Lakers.

In the loss, Hart played 40 minutes and totaled a team-high 20 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the floor. As we have seen this season, Hart was able to help out on the glass from the guard position, as he totaled seven rebounds as well.

Tuesday was the third straight game that Hart was able to score at least 20 points, as he has been much more involved in the offense with Ingram and Kuzma both out. At Villanova, Hart was a very good scorer as well as a defender, and we have started to see that with his recent performances.

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Even though he is a bit overshadowed in this rookie class with Ball and Kuzma, Hart has had a great rookie season. With one game left to go against the Clippers, Hart will be attempting to make it four straight games with 20 points or more to wrap up a strong rookie season.

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