Houston Rockets Destroy Tanking Lakers

James Harden’s seventeenth triple-double of the season was more than enough to help the Houston Rockets defeat the Los Angeles Lakers.

Following one of their biggest wins of the season, the Houston Rockets demolished the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at the Toyota Center. For two teams heading towards opposite ends of the spectrum, they both came away as winners, regardless the score.

The Rockets are now one game closer to competing for the elusive NBA title, and the Lakers are one game closer to investing themselves in the yearly ping pong ball competition.

Despite a mediocre start to the game, the Rockets had no problem displaying their dominance to the Baby Lakers. During the first half of the first quarter was the only time Los Angeles led in the game. Unfortunately for LA fans, once the Rockets found their mojo, it was over quickly for the Lakers.

Behind James Harden‘s first-half double-double of 14 points and 10 assists, Houston led 66-52 heading into the third. While it was nice to see Harden post a double-double in the first 24 minutes, Lou Williams was the star of the game.

Against his former team, Williams shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in the first half. That included a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point land.

The dominance only continued in the second half.In the final 24 minutes, the Rockets outscored Los Angles 73-48. The Beard didn’t touch the court in the fourth quarter, but that didn’t stop Houston’s bench from putting up 46 points in the final frame.

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Houston had seven players who scored in double figures, led by Williams who posted a 30 point night on 64.7% shooting. Coming off an MVP-worthy performance against the Cavs, Harden notch his seventeenth triple-double pf the season with 18 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds.

While shooting 54.9% from the field, the Rockets continued to prove why they are the most dangerous team in the league. They can get hot at any moment, and nobody is safe once that happens.

On the bright side for LA, Lakers’ forward Julius Randle had a monster performance in Houston. He posted a career-high 32 points to go along with eight rebounds.

Next, the Houston Rockets will look to continue their winning streak on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Next: 3-on-3 Discussion: Answering Some Hypothetical Questions

Stay tuned to Space City Scoop for more Houston Rockets news, analysis and opinions. Go Rockets!