Jalen Green scored 33 points, and Fred VanVleet’s late-game heroics helped the Houston Rockets secure a 119-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Amen Thompson delivered a standout performance in his return from a two-game suspension after tossing Tyler Herro, posting 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds as Houston held on after leading by as many as 22.
The Lakers mounted a furious comeback, with Anthony Davis scoring six points during an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to two with four minutes remaining. Thompson responded with a dunk to ignite a 7-2 Rockets surge, pushing their lead to 115-108 with just over two minutes left. Despite Davis hitting a clutch 3-pointer and LeBron James making a key basket to trim the lead to 117-115 with eight seconds to play, the Lakers fell short.
Davis led the Lakers with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while James added 21 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists despite a slow start that saw him score just five points in the first half. Rather surprisingly, the Lakers were outplayed in the paint despite Davis’ big game, and that was the difference on Sunday night. Let’s provide a grade for every Lakers player.
Anthony Davis: A
Stats: 30 PTS, 13 REB (4 OREB, 9 DREB), 2 AST, 0 STL, 5 BLK, 4 TO, 5 PF, 10-18 FG, 2-4 3PT, 8-8 FT, +7, 38 MIN
Davis was a force on both ends, leading the Lakers with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks. His perfect free-throw shooting (8-of-8) and efficient scoring (10-of-18 FG) kept the Lakers competitive, but his 4 turnovers and 5 personal fouls highlighted moments of struggle. We can’t give Davis a lower grade than an A, however, because he was dominant at times.
LeBron James: A-
Stats: 21 PTS, 13 REB (1 OREB, 12 DREB), 9 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 4 PF, 8-16 FG, 4-7 3PT, 1-2 FT, -13, 36 MIN
James filled the stat sheet with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists. He stepped up in the second half after a slow start, shooting 50% from the field and hitting 4-of-7 from deep. However, his -13 plus-minus reflected the challenges the Lakers faced defensively when he was on the floor so that prevents him from getting an A+ grade.
Austin Reaves: B+
Stats: 21 PTS, 0 REB, 10 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 2 PF, 6-13 FG, 3-6 3PT, 6-7 FT, +12, 41 MIN
Reaves had a strong offensive outing, scoring 21 points and dishing out 10 assists without committing a single turnover. His shooting splits were solid (6-of-13 FG, 3-of-6 3PT, 6-of-7 FT), and his +12 plus-minus underscored his positive impact. He doesn’t get higher because the offense was absent when the Lakers needed it in the final moments.
Max Christie: B
Stats: 14 PTS, 6 REB (1 OREB, 5 DREB), 2 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 2 PF, 4-8 FG, 2-5 3PT, 4-4 FT, +14, 39 MIN
Christie contributed a balanced game with 14 points and 6 rebounds. His 2 assists and a steal added to his value, while his +14 plus-minus highlighted his steady play. He shot efficiently (4-of-8 FG, 4-of-4 FT) but could have been more impactful on defense.
Rui Hachimura: B-
Stats: 13 PTS, 1 REB (0 OREB, 1 DREB), 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 2 PF, 5-9 FG, 3-6 3PT, 0-2 FT, +4, 28 MIN
Hachimura scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep. However, his lone rebound and lack of defensive presence limited his impact, and his missed free throws (0-of-2) were costly.
Dorian Finney-Smith: B-
Stats: 13 PTS, 2 REB (1 OREB, 1 DREB), 2 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 3 PF, 5-9 FG, 2-6 3PT, 1-1 FT, -6, 26 MIN
Finney-Smith contributed 13 points and 2 steals, shooting efficiently from the field (5-of-9 FG). Despite his defensive activity, his -6 plus-minus and lack of impact on the boards and interior defense were notable.
Dalton Knecht: C
Stats: 0 PTS, 1 REB (0 OREB, 1 DREB), 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 PF, 0-3 FG, 0-2 3PT, 0-0 FT, -3, 17 MIN
Knecht struggled in 17 minutes, failing to score on 0-of-3 shooting. His lone rebound and -3 plus-minus highlighted his limited contributions on a night when depth scoring was needed.
Jaxson Hayes: N/A
Stats: 2 PTS, 2 REB (1 OREB, 1 DREB), 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 2 PF, 0-2 FG, 0-0 3PT, 2-2 FT, -7, 6 MIN
Hayes played just 6 minutes, scoring 2 points and grabbing 2 rebounds. While his limited time provided little opportunity to make an impact, his -7 plus-minus in such a short span reflected defensive challenges.
Shake Milton: N/A
Stats: 1 PTS, 1 REB (1 OREB, 0 DREB), 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 0 PF, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-2 FT, -16, 5 MIN
Milton played only 5 minutes and scored 1 point. His 2 turnovers in limited action and -16 plus-minus were disappointing.
Cam Reddish: N/A
Stats: 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 PF, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, -12, 4 MIN
Reddish had no statistical contributions in 4 minutes of play, finishing with a -12 plus-minus.
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