Taking over

Lakers beat Rockets, take 3- 1 lead in NBA Western Conference series.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Anthony Davis was the biggest player on the floor, and Houston had no answers.

Davis had 29 points and 12 rebounds, LeBron James finished one assist shy of a triple- double and the Los Angeles Lakers topped the Rockets, 110100, to take a 3- 1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.

James had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists for the Lakers, who outrebounded the Rockets 5226. Alex Caruso scored 16 points and Rajon Rondo had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists for the Lakers, who held on after frittering away most of a big second- half lead.

“Turnovers,” Davis said. “We had too many turnovers.”

That was one of the few complaints the Lakers could make after Game 4.

Russell Westbrook had 25 points and James Harden had 21 for the Rockets, who got 19 from Eric Gordon and 14 from Austin Rivers.

The Lakers were up by 23 midway through the fourth, well on their way to a blowout win. That’s when Houston’s offense woke up.

Westbrook made a corner 3- pointer with 3: 01 left, Harden got a steal and a pair of free throws on the next possession, and the Rockets put together an 18- 2 run to get within 103- 96.

The Lakers turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions during that stretch, unable to get anything going.

Smartly, though, on the biggest possession of the night as the clock ticked inside the twominute mark, they went to Davis. Gordon, who stands about half- a- foot shorter than Davis, had no chance as the Laker All- Star scored in the lane to push the lead back out to nine and buy the Lakers a bit of breathing room.

Caruso’s 3- pointer off a pass from James with 34.6 seconds left made it 108- 100, and the Lakers escaped.

Celtics

The NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report — a review of calls late in close games — said two noncalls went against Boston at crucial times in Game 6 of its 125- 122 doubleovertime loss to the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night.