LeBron-led Lakers survive scare from Rockets

LOS ANGELES — Sometimes 1 halt is each you need.

There were not galore stops connected Tuesday nighttime for a Lakers defence performing good beneath its standard. But the last play – an errant, last-ditch 3-point effort from USC merchandise Kevin Porter Jr. – was disconnected by an inch, conscionable capable for the Lakers to clasp connected for their 3rd consecutive win, 119-117, implicit the Houston Rockets.

They breathed a suspiration of alleviation aft battling to get backmost connected apical successful a shootout with the young Rockets. LeBron James, who scored 14 of his 30 points successful the 4th quarter, wrapped himself successful a towel. Russell Westbrook, who scored 27, removed his jersey entirely. Anthony Davis, who scored 27, spun the shot connected his digit aft grabbing the past rebound.

Close games are getting to beryllium a mode of beingness for these Lakers (5-3), who survived this latest thriller for their 3rd consecutive triumph and 5th successful their past six games.

It was the inverse of a crippled against these aforesaid Rockets 2 nights earlier: After a 95-85 antiaircraft conflict connected Sunday, neither squad seemed successful the temper to halt the different successful the rematch.

Jalen Green made the hosts sweat: The rookie made a 3-pointer with 8 seconds near to propulsion Houston wrong 1 point, and anticipation was inactive live for the Rockets aft the Lakers’ Malik Monk converted conscionable 1 of 2 escaped throws moments later. But the Lakers successfully defended connected 2 inbounds plays to clasp connected for the win.

There were astir 2,500 much fans packing a sellout assemblage than determination were connected Sunday, and the full-throated unit of that summation was wide arsenic James went connected his fourth-quarter teardrop – a one-man 10-point run.

A dunk disconnected a Westbrook lob. A brace of go-ahead layups. A turnaround jumper from 13 feet. A layup from a fewer feet retired extracurricular of the backboard. In little than 2 minutes, James had flipped a three-point shortage into a four-point pb with astir 7:30 remaining.

The Lakers had an adjacent person decorativeness owed to an antithetic officiating mistake: Referees miscounted Houston’s fouls and awarded the Lakers a brace of escaped throws for Kent Bazemore. An authoritative reappraisal aboriginal took those 2 points disconnected the board, putting the Lakers up by conscionable 3 points with little than 2 minutes left. James pulled up from 18 feet to enactment 2 much points backmost connected the board, and the Lakers’ defence forced a cardinal changeable timepiece usurpation with 1:03 left.

James’ feisty 4th fourth was the capper to an fantabulous violative nighttime for the Big Three. For the archetypal clip successful their 8 games together, James, Westbrook and Davis each scored astatine slightest 20 points, uncovering an elusive scoring balance.

It was each the much needed with the Lakers’ relation players coming up short: Aside from 15 points from Carmelo Anthony, the remainder of the non-Big Three contributed conscionable 20 points.

Perhaps the astir damning facet of the crippled was that the Lakers needed the heroics astatine all. After holding the Rockets to conscionable 85 points connected Sunday, they allowed 70 points successful the archetypal fractional done each mode of antiaircraft sins: hands not successful the air, getting caught retired of position, failing to instrumentality to shooters, getting screened retired of plays.

Green, the No. 2 wide draught prime this summer, seized upon the lackadaisical vigor to spell 7 for 9 from the tract earlier halftime. The Rockets scored 40 points successful the overgarment successful the archetypal fractional alone, pushing the Lakers’ defence good into the rim for adjacent finishes.

Without seasoned halfway Dwight Howard (neck stiffness) for a 2nd consecutive game, the Lakers’ extortion astatine the rim was hobbled to statesman with. Davis seemed hindered by stiffness astatine assorted points passim the game. DeAndre Jordan checked successful for him to commencement the 2nd half, but helium reappeared 90 seconds aboriginal to resume his mean rotation.

The astir strength the Lakers showed successful the archetypal fractional was during their confrontations with officials. They drew 3 method fouls for arguing calls, including 1 by Coach Frank Vogel, who screamed aft a missed telephone connected a second-quarter handbasket by Jordan.

Some of that vexation manifested successful the offense, particularly erstwhile the Lakers drove successful the paint. Westbrook was a panic disconnected the dribble for astir of the night, and James screamed astatine the assemblage aft a fast-break dunk soon earlier halftime. But it seldom manifested connected the different end, wherever a deficiency of attraction to item near the Lakers trailing for overmuch of the night, including the 2 mediate quarters.

The Lakers adjacent play Oklahoma City connected Thursday nighttime astatine Staples Center.

More to travel connected this story.