Houston Rockets rookie sensation Jalen Green had a night to remember Wednesday as his team downed the slumping Los Angeles Lakers 130-139 in the overtime.
Green scored 32 points including 10 in the OT to lead the Rockets, who have the worst record (17-49) in the West, to a huge victory.
Houston withstood a triple-double from LeBron James and 30 points from Russell Westbrook to get just their second win in 15 games.
On the other hand, the Lakers suffered another painful lose. That was their ninth consecutive loss in the road for Frank Vogel’s team.
”It is hard losing when you’re pouring everything you have into it and trying to get traction for this group,” Vogel said. ”But we’ve got resolve and this is a tough stretch we have to fight through.”
The Lakers are still in trouble. They dropped to 28-37, which a season-worst record under .500, and they seem unable to find a groove as a team heading into the last few games of the regular season.
Defense was the issue in the latest game, allowing 139 points to a team that normally scores 109.0 per game this season.
“In the beginning of the game, our game plan was to attack Melo (Carmelo Anthony), and to just find the mismatch on the floor,” Green told reporters.
“So when it came down to it, we were just looking for Melo, and I was just attacking him every time until they stopped it.”
Green, who set a career-high with his performance in Houston, had been attacking Anthony constantly through the game, especially in the OT, where he scored 10 points.
Josh Christopher (21 points) Jalen Green (32 points), and Alperen Sengun (21 points) all scored 20+ points. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the second time in NBA history that a team had three players 20 or younger score 20+ points in the same game. — Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) March 10, 2022
He opened overtime with a layup before adding a 3-pointer and then going with the hook shot soon after that to make it 127-120. He hit a three to put the Rockets up 11 with less than two minutes remaining in the overtime.
As for the Lakers, they seem to be lost, having no purpose on the floor. The Lakers allowed Houston to shoot 42 percent from deep and 51 percent from the field.
Rookies Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Josh Christopher outplayed the veteran squad of the Los Angeles Lakers, combining for 74 points. The young big from Turkey added a career-high 15 rebounds.
The Lakers have a tough stretch coming in the last 15 games of the season. During that stint, they have to face Phoenix (twice), Denver (twice), Philadelphia, Toronto (twice) Dallas and Minnesota.
As a result, even their play-in seed is in doubt. The Lakers are still ninth in the West, 1.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans and 3.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers.
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