Lakers beat Rockets behind LeBron’s 48-point night.
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers beat the Rockets, 140–132, behind a 48-point night from LeBron James, winning in a dramatic fashion on Martin Luther King’s Day to snap a three-game losing skid and improve their season record to 20–24.
Another day, another historic and masterful performance from future Hall of Famer LeBron James, who scored a season-high 48 points, his third 40-point game since turning 38 years old in December.
LeBron tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-most 40-point games at 38 years old or older, with Michael Jordan in first with eight 40-point outings.
“I think it’s historic on a lot of different levels. For him to be at this point of his career and still be able to produce at the level in which he’s producing,” said head coach Darvin Ham.
LeBron finished the night with 38 points on 5-for-10 (50%) shooting from three while going 16-for-26 (61%) shooting overall, notching 9 assists and 8 rebounds in 35 minutes.
Russell Westbrook was seen having a back-and-forth talk with the Lakers coaching staff going into the locker room after halftime.
As Russell Westbrook was walking off the court at the end of the first half, he was saying to the Lakers coaching staff that they “have to be better than that." Phil Handy told Russ that “we all have to be better.”
After the game, Westbrook described the situation as just a conversation. “Honestly, man, it was just a conversation. I didn’t get into it with anybody,” said Westbrook, refusing to share the topic of the “conversation.”
Westbrook finished second on the team with 24 points on 9-for-16 (56%) shooting overall from the field, adding 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal in 32 minutes off the bench.
Wenyen Gabriel gave the Lakers the huge spark they needed, giving them constant energy and hustle with multiple and-1 putbacks in Monday’s win.
Gabriel finished the night with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, and 1 assist in 24 minutes off the bench.
Kendrick Nunn has been finding his rhythm this week, scoring in double figures in three of his past four games, including 15 points off the bench against the Rockets.
The Lakers remain at home for their matchup on Wednesday night against the 24–18 Sacramento Kings at 7:30 PM on Spectrum SportsNet.
