Los Angeles Lakers: Six lessons from loss to Houston Rockets
By Ronald Agers
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a tough loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Here are six lessons.
Mark this game down Los Angeles Lakers fans, if the Lakers go into a tailspin, this game might be the one that started it all. The Lakers tried…BOY they tried, but did not win a game that they should have won.
After racing to a quick lead that ballooned to 21 at one point, the Lakers lost an overtime thriller to the Houston Rockets 138-134 that had to be easily one of the most entertaining games of the year.
Luke Walton joked before the game that if James Harden could be held under 50 points in the game it would be considered a success. Well let me tell you call it a success if you want, but Harden deposited 48 points and it could have easily been 50 had he not missed two free throws because of flat-out fatigue.
This was not like the last game when the “Beard” started a NBA civil war between the referees, the Lakers and the entire NBA fan base on how he gets to the free throw line. In this game, Luke Walton was prepared with a defensive scheme that worked for an entire half. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope did a good job for the most part.
Now it’s not like Josh Hart didn’t try to bring up old stuff and get burned…
But the Los Angeles Lakers did what they could with a guy that is scoring at a clip that only Wilt Chamberlain has done in NBA history. He didn’t beat the Lakers…
Eric Gordon did…
Gordon, who recently returned to the Rockets lineup dropped 30 points including a “Boogie Down Pro—fessional shot to send it into overtime…
Sometimes you have to shake a man’s hand.
The real bad news is the ankle injury that Lonzo Ball suffered early in the 3rd quarter. He was carried off the floor and did not return. To make things worse, he had to go to the hospital because the X-ray machine in the arena did not work (Not making this up…maybe the Rockets can’t afford to eat Carmelo Anthony’s salary.).
What’s hurts here is that before he got hurt, the Rockets really had no chance of stopping the Lakers offense. The ball was moving and the Lakers were absolutely killing the Rockets to the point you could see the frustration in Harden the first half.
Rajon Rondo needs to come back ASAP and well wishes to Lonzo Ball. That injury looked serious, but there were no fractures so that is great news. But let’s be clear, he may be out a couple of weeks. At least.
Lots to get to…
Lake Show Life Lessons!