The Los Angeles Lakers look ready to strengthen their spot in the Western Conference standings. They lead the Houston Rockets 67 to 55 at the start of the third quarter in the second game of a back to back series at Toyota Center on Wednesday night.
LeBron James has been the biggest story of the first half. The 41 year old forward made all eight of his shots from the field, including two three pointers, to score 18 points before halftime.
It was very different from the tough, close game these two teams played barely 48 hours earlier. In that game, the Lakers needed a strong fourth quarter to win 100 to 92 in the same building.
Luka Doncic has also scored 18 points. He added six rebounds and six assists while running a Lakers offense that shot 61.4 per cent from the floor and 50 per cent from three point range through two quarters.
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In Monday’s first game, Doncic carried even more of the scoring load. He put up 36 points to erase a six point Houston lead at halftime.
The Rockets came into Wednesday hoping to split the two game set. Center Alperen Sengun, who missed Monday’s loss because of lower back soreness, returned to the starting lineup and has scored 10 points on an efficient five of six shooting. But Houston’s other players have had trouble getting going.
Amen Thompson leads the home team with 14 points, but the Rockets are shooting just 29.4 per cent from three, and turnovers have been a problem again, with seven already through two quarters.
Turnovers also hurt the Rockets on Monday. Houston gave the ball away 24 times in that first game, compared to just 12 for Los Angeles. The Lakers turned those mistakes into 21 points.
Austin Reaves had four steals and LeBron added two of his own while finishing with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Both teams have a lot riding on these games as the regular season nears its end. The Lakers sit at 43 wins and 25 losses, placing them among the top teams in the West behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
Houston, at 41 and 26, holds the fourth seed and home court advantage in a possible first round matchup. But the Rockets have gone just five and five over their past 10 games and have not been able to win two in a row during that stretch.
A second straight win for Los Angeles would push the team’s winning streak to seven games and move them further ahead of the Rockets in the standings.
For Houston, the final two quarters are a chance to stop a shaky stretch that could hurt what has otherwise been a strong season.
