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Los Angeles Lakers ‘Anthony Davis (3) reaches for the ball as Houston Rockets’ James Harden defends during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal basketball game on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. . | AP Photo
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – Anthony Davis was the biggest player on the court and the Houston Rockets had no answers.
Davis had 29 points and 12 rebounds, LeBron James finished to a triple-double assist and the Los Angeles Lakers outscored the Rockets 110-100 on Thursday night (Friday morning, Sept. 11, 2020, in the Philippines) to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
James had 16 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who rebounded the Rockets 52-26. Alex Caruso scored 16 points and Rajon Rondo had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, who held on after blowing most of a big lead in the second half.
“Rotations,” Davis said. “We had too many turnovers.”
That was one of the few complaints the Lakers were able to make after Game 4.
Russell Westbrook had 25 points and James Harden 21 for the Rockets, who got 19 from Eric Gordon and 14 from Austin Rivers.
The Lakers were up 23 midway through the quarter, en route to a landslide victory. That’s when the Houston offense woke up.
Westbrook hit a 3 corner kick with 3:01 left, Harden had a steal and a pair of free throws on the next possession, and the Rockets put together an 18-2 run to go 103-96. The Lakers lost the ball on four consecutive possessions during that stretch, unable to do anything.
However, smartly, in the biggest possession of the night as the clock ticked within the two-minute mark, they went to Davis. Gordon, who is about a half-foot shorter than Davis, didn’t stand a chance as the Laker All-Star scored in the lane to take the lead to nine and give the Lakers some breathing room.
Caruso’s 3-pointer off James’ pass with 34.6 seconds left put the score at 108-100, and the Lakers escaped.
That’s how easy things were for the Lakers: in the third quarter, James grabbed a defensive rebound, turned and fired a 70-foot pass – soccer serve style – to Davis, the ball sailed over the five Rockets running toward defense. Davis calmly caught the pass and set it up to score, the ball never touching the ground.
And that’s how tough things were for the Rockets: They went 4 of 20 from the field during a 17-minute stretch spanning from late in the first quarter to early in the third. James only had four points in those minutes, but the Rockets’ drought meant a three-point deficit that skyrocketed to 21.
The Lakers won Game 3 by holding Houston to 38 points in the second half, and they prepared to win Game 4 by cracking down again, this time in the first half. The Lakers were 57-41 at halftime, meaning Houston had scored 79 points in its last 48 minutes of basketball.
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