Neither the golden glow nor the glamour of Hollywood were enough on Thursday to protect the Los Angeles Lakers from a rampant Houston Rockets, who turned Christmas red at the Crypto.com Arena and blew away the magic of the festive season with a resounding 96-119 victory.
The painful distance that ended up deciding a clash whose result was felt from the unusual start that the Angelenos had, especially for those who came expecting the exhibition of Luka Doncic.
Although he ended up scoring 25 points (9 of 17 shooting) and five rebounds, he was unable to infect his rhythm, which came late, to a team that was overwhelmed by the visitors’ energy.The Slovenian, who usually turns the first few minutes into his own personal stage, found himself trapped in a sterile dynamic: his aggression did not find the reward of the net, closing a grey stretch with just four points that paled in comparison to his four turnovers.
Austin Reaves tried to make up for this lack of scoring rhythm (12 points, 5-of-8 shooting) to the tune of LeBron James (18 points, 7-of-13 shooting), who conducted the baton for the Angelenos during the first quarter, although it ended with a 25-37 in favor of the Rockets.
The defensive system of J.J. Redick’s team lacked the structural solidity with which they usually impress, and it was that the Lakers were out of sync, unable to close lines against a hungry Rockets who won races in every transition.
Doncic gradually regained his composure, taking on the offensive responsibility with an 11-point haul in the second quarter that steadied his team’s course.
Despite the Slovenian star’s awakening, which allowed them to close in on the Rockets, the Lakers could not completely neutralize their opponents’ lead and went into halftime with a 10-point gap.
Houston brought out the heavy artillery for Christmas, with Kevin Durant looking impeccable with 25 points (8-of-14 shooting and eight assists) and Amen Thompson, who led all scorers with 26 points (12-of-19 shooting and seven rebounds), and was the driving force behind any attempt at an Angelino fightback.
They also punished turnovers, punishing every Angelino mistake with 13 points in their favor, which highlighted the Lakers’ lack of accuracy, unable to take advantage of their opponents’ mistakes.
A third period adrift and out of control
The third quarter proved to be the trigger for a defeat that had been brewing since the opening period. Reaves went to the locker room never to return after some discomfort that once again raised alarm bells about the American player, who was already suffering from a previous injury.
A sinking ship began to sink, and although Doncic kept up his pace, the Lakers’ problem lay not so much in attack but in an ineffective defense to stop Durant.
The Christmas miracle began to turn into a nightmare at the end of the third quarter with an 18-point difference, an insurmountable gap that presaged a nightmare for Los Angeles that dragged on until the last quarter.
The bitter result tarnishes James’ week as he will blow out candles on December 30 with a red Christmas thorn in his side over his golden and purple home.
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