The Houston Rockets still have the stars on their team that nearly took them to the NBA Finals a season ago, so their sub-.500 start to the season is a bit confusing for NBA fans. One of those stars stepped up in a big way on Thursday night, as James Harden put up 50 points in the Rockets' 126-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at home. Harden shot 14-of-26 from the floor in a triple-double effort, as his team pulled within a game of .500 on the season. Harden added 10 rebounds and 11 assists on the night, powering the Rockets' 36-23 advantage in the final 12 minutes.
Harden's big night helped the Rockets overcome getting outshot by the Lakers, who finished at 53 percent shooting as a team. Although, the three-point friendly Rockets shot 44 percent from beyond the arc, which was 13 percent better than the Lakers. They were also helped out by Harden's success at the free throw line, where he was 18-of-19 on the night. He grabbed his 10th rebound with 1:30 to play, giving him his second triple-double of the season, and 37th of his career.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 29 points, but his team fell to 6-7 away from home, snapping a mild two-game winning streak. Los Angeles allowed the Rockets, especially Harden, to get hot in the fourth quarter, where they went on a 13-2 run to pull away for good.
This was the first game since the fight between these two teams at the Staples Center on October 22nd. That involved Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, but the Lakers' point guard was still sitting out from surgery on his broken right hand. There was some chippy play, most noticeably in the third quarter, where multiple technical fouls were assessed, and Nene was ejected.
The Rockets will be on the road Saturday night to take on a surprising team in the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Lakers stay on the road to take on the Charlotte Hornets that same night.
Harden's big night helped the Rockets overcome getting outshot by the Lakers, who finished at 53 percent shooting as a team. Although, the three-point friendly Rockets shot 44 percent from beyond the arc, which was 13 percent better than the Lakers. They were also helped out by Harden's success at the free throw line, where he was 18-of-19 on the night. He grabbed his 10th rebound with 1:30 to play, giving him his second triple-double of the season, and 37th of his career.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 29 points, but his team fell to 6-7 away from home, snapping a mild two-game winning streak. Los Angeles allowed the Rockets, especially Harden, to get hot in the fourth quarter, where they went on a 13-2 run to pull away for good.
This was the first game since the fight between these two teams at the Staples Center on October 22nd. That involved Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, but the Lakers' point guard was still sitting out from surgery on his broken right hand. There was some chippy play, most noticeably in the third quarter, where multiple technical fouls were assessed, and Nene was ejected.
The Rockets will be on the road Saturday night to take on a surprising team in the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Lakers stay on the road to take on the Charlotte Hornets that same night.
