LOS ANGELES Lakers survived a late rally by the Houston Rockets for a 119-117 win in the 2021-2022 NBA Season on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Holding to a 114-106 lead, the Rockets leaned on five straight points by Christian Wood to cut it to 111-114 but the Lakers increased it back to 118-111 on back-to-back hits by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Rockets made its last push at 117-118 on consecutive triples by Filipino-American rookie Jalen Green before the Lakers got a split free throw from Malik Monk for a 119-117 edge with six seconds left.
Houston still had an opportunity for a come-from-behind victory but Kevin Porter Jr. missed on a top-of-the-key three-point attempt over the defense of Lakers’ Kent Bazemore at the buzzer.
James finished the match with 30 points, with 12 coming in the fourth quarter, to go with 10 assists as the Lakers won five of its last six matches for a 5-3 win-loss slate.
Davis chipped in 27 points and nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook contributed 27 markers, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals, while Carmelo Anthony had 15 points for the Lakers.
Wood led the Rockets (1-6) with double-double 26 points and 16 rebounds. Green drilled five triples to finish with 24 markers, while JaSean Tate contributed 20 points.
Meanwhile, Miami Heat (6-1) continued its fine start with a 125-110 beating of Dallas Mavericks (4-3) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Tyler Herro led the balance scoring with 25 points, including three triples, Jimmy Butler added 23 points, while Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry each had 22 points for the Heat.
Defending champions Milwaukee Bucks (4-4) get back on the winning track with a 117-89 win over Detroit Pistons (1-6). Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 28 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
In other results, Utah Jazz (6-1) turned back Sacramento Kings (3-4), 119-113 to stay on top in the West, while Phoenix Suns (3-3) torched New Orleans Pelicans (1-7), 112-100.
BOX SCORE:
LOS ANGELES 119 — James 30, Westbrook 27, Davis 27, Anthony 15, Jordan 8, Bazemore 7, Bradley 2, Reaves 2, Monk 1.
HOUSTON 117 — Wood 26, Green 24, Tate 20, Martin 14, Porter 11, Augustin 7, Sengun 6, Nwaba 5, Brooks 4.
BOX SCORE: 32-35, 64-70, 87-89, 119-117. /PN
