LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers led the Houston Rockets 71–64 with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s Western Conference first-round Game 2 at Crypto.com Arena.
Guard Marcus Smart paced Los Angeles with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, adding four assists and two rebounds. The Lakers, who won Game 1 by nine points, entered the night ahead 1-0 in the best-of-seven matchup.
Kevin Durant topped Houston’s scoring chart with 21 points, going 6-of-8 from the field and 8-of-9 at the line. Center Alperen Şengün contributed eight points and seven rebounds for the Rockets.
By the numbers
• Los Angeles shot 47 percent overall and a blistering 55 percent (12-of-22) from three-point range.
• Houston hit 38 percent of its field-goal attempts and 23 percent (5-of-22) from beyond the arc.
• The Lakers committed nine turnovers to the Rockets’ 12 and held a narrow 29-29 edge on the glass.
• Los Angeles led for 71 percent of the contest and built its largest advantage at 15 points.
Injury report
Houston remained without Steven Adams (ankle) and Fred VanVleet (knee). Los Angeles was missing guards Austin Reaves (oblique) and Luka Dončić (hamstring).
Game 3 shifts to Toyota Center in Houston on Friday with the Rockets looking to even the series.
Source: ESPN
