HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 28 points in three quarters and the Houston Rockets never trailed in a 128-94 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
It’s the fourth straight win for the Rockets after they lost their first three games this season. They've won four in a row for the first time since winning seven consecutive games in late 2021.
The Rockets scored the game’s first eight points and led by 21 at halftime. They didn’t let up after the break and were up by 20 midway through the third period before using an 11-5 run to make it 90-64 with 3½ minutes left in the quarter.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Jae’Sean Tate made 3-pointers in that stretch to power the Rockets.
Green, who made 5 of 6 3-pointers, got hot soon after that, scoring all of Houston’s points during a 10-5 run that left the Rockets up 99-71 entering the fourth. Most of the starters for both teams, including Green and the Lakers' LeBron James, didn’t play in the fourth with the game out of hand.
Rui Hachimura scored 24 off the bench in his return after missing four games with a concussion as the Lakers lost their third straight. D’Angelo Russell added 22 points and James had a season-low 18 in a game in which Los Angeles was without Anthony Davis, who sat out with a groin injury.
The Rockets had a great offensive night, shooting 54.8% (51 of 93) overall and making 42.4% (14 of 33) of their 3-pointers. They also dominated on the boards with Davis out, outrebounding the Lakers 57-34.
Tari Eason had nine points and nine rebounds in his season debut for Houston after missing the first six games with a leg injury.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Visit Phoenix on Friday night.
Rockets: Host New Orleans on Friday night.
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