HOUSTON — With their roster full of injured big men, the Los Angeles Lakers tried to run early on the Houston Rockets. What the Lakers lacked was the depth to keep it up Tuesday night.
The Rockets’ starting backcourt of James Harden and Jeremy Lin combined for 50 points and 14 assists as Houston took advantage of the undermanned Lakers and ran to a 125-112 victory at Toyota Center.
Without starting center Dwight Howard and power forward Pau Gasol, in addition to reserve center Jordan Hill, the Lakers turned to their starting backcourt of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash to carry their offense. Metta World Peace provided an assist with 24 points, but the Rockets’ balanced attack gradually wore down the shorthanded Lakers (15-19).
“That’s our mindset every single game, not just against the Lakers but against every single team,” Harden said. “We feel like we can’t play a four-quarter game half court, so we’ve got to get out in transition and get to our strengths. Tonight we kind of wore them out, especially in the second half.”
With 31 points, Harden matched the franchise record set by Moses Malone of 13 consecutive games with at least 25. He added nine assists and six rebounds and benefitted from strong efforts from Chandler Parsons (20 points), Lin (six rebounds, five assists, four steals), and Carlos Delfino, whose 19 points paced a bench that totaled 44 points.
While the Rockets (21-14) extended their winning streak to five games — their second streak of that length in less than a month — the Lakers stalled yet again. Bryant and Nash combined for 36 points and 17 assists, but the Lakers’ depleted bench offered little in terms of support.
Without Howard present to protect the rim, the Lakers surrendered 60 points in the paint. Compounding matters was their perimeter defense, which allowed the Rockets to connect on 11 of 25 3-point attempts.
“We played well in the first half and then Houston got to the rim,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We couldn’t keep them in front of us, and obviously, we’re lacking a little size inside.”
The Rockets secured their first lead at 47-46 on a Delfino 3-pointer at the 4:48 mark of the second quarter, yet the Lakers maintained control until the Rockets fashioned a 22-4 run down the stretch of the third quarter. The Lakers, having torched the Rockets’ defense, mustered only four free throws during that span as Houston hit four 3-pointers before Harden completed a three-point play for a 95-82 lead with 1:09 left.
“That was a defensive clinic out there tonight,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said, tongue planted firmly in his cheek. “They played faster than I thought they would. Nash had it going; Metta World Peace made some 3s, so it was one of those games where guys shot the ball well.”
The Lakers opted not to crater without Howard and Gasol, and from the opening tip played with energy. Before the Rockets could settle in the Lakers led 18-4 after 3-pointers from World Peace and Darius Morris.
The Rockets awoke from their slumber when their bench provided a spark late in the first quarter. Ultimately the Lakers failed to keep pace, and once they surrendered the lead for good, they were spent.
“I think we just were down a little bit,” Nash said. “They came harder and harder and fatigue and the lack of numbers up front really hurt us.”
NOTES: With Howard (torn labrum, right shoulder), Gasol (concussion) and Hill (labrum tear, left hip/herniated disc) unavailable, the Lakers have turned to Robert Sacre as their primary big man. Sacre was inactive Sunday night for the Lakers’ loss to the Nuggets as he was on assignment in the D-League. “It’s good that he got a couple games under his belt so that when he comes in he wouldn’t have sat there (on the bench) for a month,” D’Antoni said. “That was good. That worked out.”… Nash had 10 assists and reached the 10,000-assist benchmark, joining John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (11,969), Mark Jackson (10,334) and Magic Johnson (10,141) as the only players in NBA history to pass that mark. Nash assisted on an Antawn Jamison layup with 19.4 seconds left in the first half to reach the milestone. … The Rockets have totaled 30 offensive rebounds in consecutive wins over the Lakers. “Normally we talk about getting stops and rebounding the ball because a stop is incomplete until you rebound,” McHale said. “That’s one of three things we talk about the most.”