It’s been a rough road trip for the Houston Rockets, with three overtime losses and blowout loss to the Clippers. Heading into Thursday’s Christmas Day matchup with the Lakers, Rockets fans were hoping to see them make a statement on the big stage. That they did.
Similar to their start in the Clippers game, the Rockets jumped out to a hot shooting start, hitting at a 62.5 percent clip in the first quarter, including 4-of-7 from the three-point line. The Rockets got back to doing what they do best,
dominating the paint and the boards. They outrebounded the Lakers by 27, which included a +10 in offensive rebounds which lead to 24 second chance points. The starting lineup of Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun proved to be very effective on both sides of the floor. The 37 first quarter points would be their highest output in a quarter, however defensively the Rockets never allowed the Lakers to score more than 28 points in a quarter and the Lakers never led in the game.
The Rockets winning by 23 in large part due to the second chance points and balanced scoring. Six Rockets players scored in double figures, and they assisted on 24 of their 48 made shots. Amen Thompson led the way with 26 points, getting anything he wanted inside and finding the touch in the mid-range game. Kevin Durant scored 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists shooting 57 percent from the field including 4-of-6 from three. Sengun registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds on 5-of-7 from the field. Tari Eason scored 13 points, Reed Sheppard chipped in 13 points off the bench as well and Dorian Finney-Smith made his season debut with 13 minutes played. He took one shot and did not score.
The Lakers came into Thursday’s game on a bit of a slide themselves, having lost two in a row and five of the previous ten games. The Rockets were able to exploit their lack of athleticism and their inability to defend at a high level. As a whole the Rockets are a better team than the Lakers and they looked the part on Christmas day. The Rockets now have two wins over teams with a .600-win percentage or higher. That isn’t a lot, but it’s better than zero. The Inside the NBA crew of Ernie, Chuck, Shaq, and Kenny Smith, made the observation at halftime that they believe the Rockets still need to acquire a veteran point guard via trade this season in order to compete against the elite teams in the West.
Today may not be the best day to make that argument after a double-digit Rockets win, but it’s a narrative that likely isn’t going away. In 19 minutes of play, Reed Sheppard only tallied one assist, but he also did not turn the ball over. Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant accounted for 9 of the Rockets 15 turnovers. It stands to reason that Reed Sheppard’s play of late at minimum should have the Rockets taking a deeper look at him running the offense as the teams point-guard and primary ball handler.
Sheppard has improved immensely from the player we saw struggling under pressure against the OKC Thunder. There are still a lot of question marks surrounding the Rockets and where they stand among the best of the best, but a 23-point win in LA against the Lakers on Christmas Day? That ain’t nothin’ to shake a stick at. The Rockets will try to keep that momentum going as they return home to face the Cavs and the Pacers in a two-game home stand.
