Kevin Durant took responsibility for the Houston Rockets' 100-92 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The defeat snapped Houston's momentum against a Lakers team on a six-game winning streak. A rematch follows Wednesday in Houston with center Alperen Sengun expected to return.
The Los Angeles Lakers secured a 100-92 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday in Houston, marking their first road win during a six-game winning streak. The Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter, holding Houston to 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting and nine turnovers while scoring 17 points themselves despite a stretch of 14 missed shots in a row. Los Angeles now sits third in the Western Conference, 1.5 games ahead of fourth-place Houston and 3.5 games clear of the seventh seed and Play-In Tournament position.
LeBron James contributed 18 points, five rebounds and five assists while embracing a secondary role, as noted by coach J.J. Redick, who described it as the best approach for the team.
Kevin Durant scored 18 points but struggled with seven turnovers, including two points and two turnovers in the fourth quarter—one an 8-second violation. Post-game, Durant said, “I just felt like I lost the game for us [Monday]. It's that simple. I mean, to be honest, I'm the offense and the opposing team is going to use all their resources and not let me get comfortable. I got to be smarter, better with the ball. I got to maybe shoot over some of them double-teams. … I'm the offense. And the opposing team is going to use all their resources to not let me get comfortable.”
Houston lacks a true point guard following Fred VanVleet's season-ending injury in September and ranks seventh-worst in clutch net rating at -7.3. All-Star center Alperen Sengun, Houston's second-leading scorer, missed Monday due to lower back pain but is set to play Wednesday. He is on pace to average at least 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game—a feat achieved by only four others in NBA history, including James.
The Lakers' defense has limited opponents to 109.3 points per 100 possessions over their past 10 wins with nine victories. Durant and James have met 45 times including playoffs, with James' teams leading 25-20; Durant averages 29.2 points to James' 27.6. Wednesday's game could be their final regular-season matchup.
