Harden, Williams lead 39-point rout of Lakers
46-point 4th, Williams’ 30 put win to rest
The Rockets were no more concerned with Lou Williams’ shooting slump than they were about the Los Angeles Lakers.
They knew they would get around to blowing out the Lakers on Wednesday night. They were every bit as certain Williams would find his shooting touch.
The Rockets were right about both. Their minds wandered along the way, as if aimlessly flipping through channels before finding something to hold their attention, but that did not keep them from a 139-100 blowout of the Lakers at Toyota Center.
There was something to gain from the exercise, even if Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said his top priority was “nobody gets hurt.”
“That’s all we want to do, make sure that everybody … got on the floor, played, got their work in and then let’s get to the next one,” he said.
Yet, before D’Antoni made the blowout sound like third-period gym class, he considered the way Williams lit up his former team and said, “So much for him being in a shooting slump.”
Williams made 14 of 57 shots in his previous six games before
making his first seven attempts Wednesday on the way to 30 points, his most with the Rockets.
“It was good to see the ball go in the hole, just have an opportunity to play well, get a big win at home,” Williams said. “It’s been a while. I’ve had some ups and downs. It’s been a while since I’ve shot that well. I felt confident in the shot, got off to a good start and was able to carry it through.”
Williams made 11 of 17 shots, becoming the third player since the 1983-84 season (joining the Clippers’ Jamal Crawford and the Rockets’ Sleepy Floyd) to get 30 points with seven assists off the bench twice in a season.
“He’s just trying to find his way,” guard James Harden said. “We’ve got so many good players and good scorers that he doesn’t have to figure it out. He’s just being patient.”
With the Rockets playing their first game since clinching a playoff spot, the remaining goals are to stay healthy, reach the playoffs playing well and remain in third place. Getting Williams going again might not have been unexpected, but it was a welcome part of that plan.
“He had a couple games that he didn’t feel comfortable in, but for the most part, he’s been great,” said forward Trevor Ariza, who made 7 of 9 shots for 20 points. “Of course, his game’s going to come around. That’s what he does. He scores the basketball. He wasn’t worried about it too much. We weren’t worried about it too much.”
The Rockets had little reason for concern throughout the rout. Harden had his 17th tripledouble, scoring 18 points with 13 assists and 12 rebounds without playing the fourth quarter. But he also had nine turnovers, some on high-risk passes he chose to try but some just from carelessly tossing the ball away.
“Yeah, we relaxed a little bit, which is pretty normal,” Harden said. “But we did a good job of clamping down when we needed to.”
Even when the Lakers closed to within eight points in the third quarter, the Rockets’ offense brushed them aside with a 46-point fourth quarter. They finished with their second 39-point victory over the Lakers of the season and topped 130 for the 10th time, the second most in a season in franchise history.
That didn’t take great concentration, but the Rockets got through the game with their health and one more shooter back on track.
“We had a couple guys who just kind of played, but that’s OK,” D’Antoni said. “If I put Bobby (Brown) in a little earlier, we probably had a 50-point (fourth) quarter, so messed that up. You know, we did some good things. We got it done. It’s over.”