Rockets drop 21 3s as James Harden trounces Lakers in LeBron James' absence

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their second consecutive game (both under 100) to the Houston Rockets on Thursday (Friday IST). James Harden dropped 39 points in their 113-97 victory as LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were both sidelined. The Rockets dominated the court with 21 three-pointers as the Lakers once again failed to perform offensively. 

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NBA live score: Houston Rockets vs Lakers highlights

While the Lakers have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference, they have lost two back-to-back games as key players remain sidelined. However, the Rockets were also without Westbrook, who is suffering from a bruised right quadriceps. The Rockets' defence and Harden's shooting from beyond the arc managed to hold off the Lakers as they struggled without LeBron James. As compared to the Rockets 21 3s, the Lakers were only 2-for-19. The Lakers scored the first 10 points in the final period to reduce the lead to 94-89 after the Rockets had three turnovers with less than eight minutes to go. However, Harden's layup started an 11-0 run for the Rockets which widened their advantage to 105-89. 

While a bucket by Quinn Cook managed to get the Lakers to within ten points in the third quarter, the Rockets scored back-to-back 7 points to stretch their lead to 91-73 before the third quarter ended with a 5-0 run highlighted by a three-pointer from PJ Tucker. Lakers' Alex Caruso also sat out the game with a sore neck, while Dwight Howard failed to score after missing Wednesday's (Thursday IST) game. Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma were the only players who managed to score more than 10 points during the Rockets vs Lakers matchup. 

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NBA live score: Rockets vs Lakers

• James Harden points: 29 PTS, 8 REB, 12 AST
• Kyle Kuzma points: 21 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST
• Ben McLemore points: 20 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST
• Anthony Davis points: 17 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST
• Danuel House Jr. points: 14 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST
• Jeff Green points: 15 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
• Austin Rivers: 11 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST

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Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni praised Harden after the game, stating that "his commitment on defence is number one." In his post-game interview, Harden admitted that the team is playing good but still need to improve defensively despite the good pace. Meanwhile, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was aware of the team's poor play. "We did some things poorly at times, we did some things well at times," Vogel said. "You learn from the tape and put it in the game plan for the next time you play these guys." The Lakers will play the Indiana Pacers on Saturday (Sunday IST), while the Rockets will play the Sacramento Kings on Sunday (Monday IST). 

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(Image source: AP)