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On the heels of a grueling Game 3 win, the Lakers came out flat and were subsequently routed by the Rockets, 115-96.
From the jump, it was pretty clear the Lakers didn’t have the right level of effort and played as such throughout. LA turned the ball over a staggering 23 times with the Rockets tallying 17 steals and 30 points off turnovers.
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On the possession where they didn’t turn it over, they weren’t connecting on outside shots, going only 5-22, including some garbage time makes. Across the board, it was a lackluster showing for the Lakers, who looked like a team eager to get back to LA and finish the series in Game 5.
Rui Hachimura and Reed Sheppard exchanged midrange jumpers to open the game. LA built a lead of five early, with Luke Kennard leading the team with three points. Three other starters had two points each. Houston had four players with two points.
At the 6:28 mark, Los Angeles was up by three.
LeBron James was now leading LA with six points with Kennard close behind with five. There were a lot of foul calls between the teams, with Los Angeles making seven of their nine free-throw attempts and Houston making three of four.
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The purple and gold were up by three at the 3:53 mark.
After a quick four-point surge, the Rockets jumped ahead by one. A layup by Jake LaRavia put the Lakers back in the lead. Jaxson Hayes had rough minutes, picking up two fouls.
Houston retook the lead by five at the end of the first.
Jabari Smith Jr. further extended the Rockets’ lead by draining a triple to start the second period. The Lakers already had eight turnovers with Houston playing defense. The Rockets continued their desperate, strong play, extending their lead to 10.
LA was struggling from behind the arc, shooting 17%.
A sudden 10-3 scoring run found Los Angeles down by three, after Houston had built a lead as big as 10. Jake LaRavia, who had been having a tough series, had a much-needed six points off the bench.
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Deandre Ayton had a strong quarter, scoring 12 points, trying to keep the Lakers close enough. At halftime, the Rockets had a nine-point lead.
Amen Thompson started the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rockets-overwhelm-lackluster-lakers-game-041914311.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-27 04:19:00
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