Lakers can’t complete big comeback, fall to Rockets in Houston

The Lakers trailed big in the first half, rallied in the second half but fell down the stretch in the fourth quarter to the Rockets.

The Lakers dug a big hole in Sunday’s showdown with the Rockets and, despite a massive comeback, could not climb all the way out as they fell to Houston, 119-115.

The purple and gold trailed by as many as 22 points but pulled all the way back to within two points on multiple occasions. However, that was as close as they could come in the second half.

Anthony Davis started slow but picked it up in the second half, finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Austin Reaves had an efficient game with 21 points on 6-12 shooting overall and 10 assists and zero turnovers.

LeBron James had a red-hot third quarter that helped him to 21 points with 13 rebounds and nine assists. Dorian Finney-Smith had 13 points off the bench while Rui Hachimura had 13 and Max Christie added 14.

The Rockets had a clear plan to get to the rim in transition, leading to a quick six points. The Lakers, however, answered each score, including a Rui 3-pointer that had them up 7-6.

Rui had things going early, knocking down open shots for a quick eight points. The defense was the issue for the Lakers, particularly on Jalen Green has he had 14 of the first 28 points for Houston.

The lead reached 11 points as Green connected on two more buckets for 18 points in the opening period. A Jae’Sean Tate 3-pointer beat the buzzer to give the Rockets a 36-22 edge.

The Lakers did not have a run to start the second period as Houston only added to its lead. A putback dunk from Steven Adams made it 41-22 and forced a timeout from Redick.

LeBron and Reaves knocked down field goals and Hayes knocked down some freebies, but Fred Van Vleet connected on a 3-pointer to keep the lead at 20. Back-to-back Christie buckets forced a Houston timeout with the deficit at 16.

An and-one by Reaves and a layup from AD was part of an 8-0 run that got the lead down to 14. Sengun ended the run with a push shot to keep the Lakers at range, though.

Shockingly, the Lakers did not finish a quarter strong. Three-pointers from Brooks and Van Vleet in the final minute extended the lead back to 20. Reaves knocked down a pair of free throws late but Houston led at the half, 67-49.

The Lakers opened the third period by airballing their first two attempts from range. Even still, 3-pointers from LeBron and Reaves helped the Lakers pull within 11 points early in the period.

LeBron’s pullup 3-pointer made it a 73-65 game, making it a 16-4 run for the Lakers. A 3-pointer from AD got the Lakers fully back in the game at 75-70 and forced a Houston timeout.

While Amen Thompson finished an alley-oop slam out of the break, LeBron answered with a 3-pointer. He then followed with one of his more audacious shots of the season to keep the momentum going.

Eventually, Houston settled things down and extended the lead back to 10 points. A rare strong finish to a quarter from the Lakers saw Christie hit a 3-pointer and AD hit four consecutive free throws to make it a 91-89 game heading into the fourth.

To counter their strong finish, the Lakers started slow in the fourth and the Rockets opened the lead back up to 10 points just two minutes into the period. Steven Adams continued destroying the Lakers on the offensive glass, creating a second-chance point for the Rockets to make it a 10-0 run out of the timeout.

DFS stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer, but the Lakers couldn’t pull any closer than seven as the two teams traded buckets. Only until an AD block and putback layup did the Lakers pull back within two possessions near the midway point.

An and-one from DFS made it a two-point game. Baskets from Thompson and Van Vleet moved it back to a six-point advantage. Green added a 3-pointer to extend the lead even further.

AD’s 3-pointer in the final minute gave them a late lifeline, trimming it to a four-point game. After getting a stop, LeBron got to the rim with under 10 seconds left to cut it to two. Sengun missed the second free throw, giving the Lakers a chance to tie the game with 7.1 seconds left.

Christie, though, turned the ball over on the in-bound. While Van Vleet split the free throws, Houston led by four with 4.9 seconds left. The Lakers committed an offensive foul on the final possession to end the game.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.