Rockets push Lakers around
HOUSTON (AP) – Jalen Green scored 34 points and Alperen Sengun added 31 to help the Houston Rockets to a 135-119 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Houston led by as many as 30 points in the second half before the Lakers used a 20-5 run to get within 10 with four minutes left.
The Rockets scored the next six points, with three from Green, to make it 127-111 with about three minutes left and the Lakers removed their starters.
Green, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, is working to be a more all-around player in his first season under coach Ime Udoka.
“I’m building on it,” Green said. “That’s what he wants from me. That’s what I want for myself. Brick by brick, just going to keep learning and keep growing each game.”
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell scored 23 points apiece for the Lakers, who had won two in a row, capped by a 145-144 double-overtime victory over Golden State on Saturday.
The Rockets were up by 25 points after a basket by Sengun with about nine minutes left when the Lakers used a 12-3 run to get within 119-103 midway through the quarter.
Soon after that, James was knocked to the court after being hit in the face by Dillon Brooks as the two fought for a rebound. James remained face down on the court for a couple of minutes while team officials attended to him before getting up and walking off the court.
The play was reviewed and determined to be a flagrant 1 foul, and James remained in the game.
The Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt was ejected in the second quarter after getting two technical fouls during an exchange with Brooks.
Vanderbilt got his first technical foul after pushing Brooks below the neck after a basket by the Lakers with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter. Brooks was walking away from Vanderbilt and had his back to him when Vanderbilt tapped him on the back of the head, drawing another technical and an immediate ejection.
Vanderbilt appeared to be upset after Brooks pushed him while he was in the air on a dunk about a minute earlier. He landed awkwardly after making that shot and fell to the ground.