The Los Angeles Lakers earned their 20th victory of the season against the Houston Rockets. The Lakers defeated the Rockets 140-132 and are now 20-24 overall on the season. LeBron James had a very strong showing against the Rockets and very well could’ve taken the night. However, he decided to play and led the Lakers to victory. Lakers’ Head Coach Darvin Ham had strong praise for James and his play postgame.
“I think it’s historic, man, on a lot of different levels,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “For him to be at this point in his career and still able to produce at the level in which he’s producing, I think all of us being able to witness it, be a part of it, it shows his competitive spirit, his no-quit mentality. … Whenever he’s out there, he’s just been competing. It’s amazing to see.”
LeBron James led the way for the Lakers with 48 points. James scored his 48 on 16-for-26 shooting. James knocked down 5-for-10 from behind the three-point line. He knocked down 11-for-12 from the free-throw line. James also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out nine assists. James discussed postgame regarding his big performance and how he wants to be available to help his team win ball games.
“I was extremely exhausted today,” James said. “I could have very easily took tonight off, but … our ballclub couldn’t use me taking a night off, I didn’t feel like. I wanted to sit on that loss with Philly last night. I wanted to get that out of my taste buds and see if we could win a ballgame tonight. It was a complete team effort, and I just tried to make plays.”
More Lakers Contributions
- Patrick Beverly scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds.
- Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out four assists off the bench.
- Wenyen Gabriel scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench.
- Kendrick Nunn scored 15 points and grabbed two rebounds off the bench.
The Los Angeles Lakers will stay home in L.A. and face the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, 1/18/23. Tip-off from Crypto.com Arena will be at 10:30 pm Eastern/ 7:30 pm Pacific.
