Williams, Harden send Rockets to 139-100 win over Lakers
Lou Williams scored 30 points against his former team and James Harden had his 17th triple-double of the season to lead the Houston Rockets over the Los Angeles Lakers 139-100 on Wednesday night.
Harden had 18 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds as Houston handed the Lakers their 11th loss in 12 games.
Williams broke out of a recent shooting slump against his ex-teammates. Houston sent Corey Brewer and a first-round draft pick to Los Angeles in a trade for Williams three weeks ago.
The deal paid off for the Rockets on Wednesday night as Williams went 7 for 9 from beyond the arc and made his first seven field goal attempts, including four straight 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, Brewer had four points in 21 minutes.
With D'Angelo Russell struggling to find a rhythm and in foul trouble much of the game, Los Angeles leaned heavily on Julius Randle, who gave Houston fits all night. Randle muscled his way into the paint for 32 points and eight rebounds.
Rookie forward Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson both scored 18 points for Los Angeles.
But the Rockets' 3-point shooting proved overwhelming for the young Lakers as Houston drained 18 of 43 from outside the arc (41.9 percent).
Houston led 66-52 at halftime and outscored the Lakers in every quarter. Houston won by 39 points, the same margin of victory as the last time it played the Lakers, a 134-95 rout in Los Angeles on Dec. 7.
Nick Young was back in the starting lineup for the Lakers, but his shooting woes continued. Young went 0 for 9 from the field, including 0 for 7 from 3-point territory.
Meanwhile, Damian Lillard scored 36 points as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 110-106, on Wednesday night, spoiling LaMarcus Aldridge's return from a health scare.
C. J. McCollum added 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who were coming off a 23-point loss in New Orleans.
Aldridge had 19 points and seven rebounds after missing two games with a minor heart arrhythmia. He was cleared Wednesday morning and does not have any playing restrictions.