LeBron James Calls Lakers’ Road Victory Over Rockets ‘Playoff Basketball’
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The Los Angeles Lakers opened a three-game trip Monday night with a 92-point defensive stand that secured a win over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The result marked the team’s sixth consecutive victory and improved its record to 9-1 over the past 10 games.
LeBron James led the way with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, finishing a game-best plus-13. After the final horn, the 21-year veteran compared the tightly contested matchup to postseason play. “It’s kind of like playoff basketball,” he told Spectrum SportsNet, noting that both teams had to “buckle down and get stops” when offense was hard to find.
Los Angeles, ranked sixth in defensive rating since Feb. 28, leaned on that end of the floor after falling behind 57-51 at halftime. The Lakers held Houston to 35 points in the second half and only 12 in the fourth quarter.
Redick Applauds Second-Half Surge
Head coach JJ Redick praised his players for executing halftime adjustments on star forward Kevin Durant and the Rockets’ offense. “Our focus and defensive effort in the last 24 minutes was exactly what we needed,” Redick said.
The win also gave Los Angeles additional separation in the race for the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed as the regular season enters its final stretch.
Source: LakersNation.com
