After suffering five consecutive losses, the LA Lakers started looking more like a mediocre team. It seemed that this mini-crisis might go for a bit longer, but once again LeBron James came up strong to save them. He dropped a triple-double in just under 40 minutes for their win over the Houston Rockets, 123-132.
The holder of 4 NBA Rings finished off the game with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. He dropped 13 points in the first quarter, thus neutralizing the Rockets' defense. The "King" came in clinical with his 11-19 shooting from the field. He also went for 3-5 from beyond the arc and grabbed 1 steal and 2 blocks in defense.
Russell Westbrook also played on a high level on Tuesday night. The point guard recorded yet another triple-double in his career (24 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists). He went for 58.8% from the field which is surprisingly high for him having in mind his lack of jump shot. Mr. "triple-double" is still looking for his maiden NBA Ring as he hopes to achieve it with the Lakers this year. However, he will surely need to minimize the amount of turnovers he has been conceding in a single game.
Carmelo Anthony and Malik Monk further contributed for the Lakers' victory. They both went for 100% from the free throw line, while Melo set the highest shot percentage for his team, finishing off with 9 successful shots from 15 attempts. He is tied in 3rd place with Russell Westbrook and Jalen Green from the Rockets with most points in the game. Malik Monk came in second with his 25 points on a 7-14 shooting.
The Los Angeles Lakers will surely need to make some amendments if they want to have a shot at the title. They will have to expand their options as they cannot solely rely on LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. Avery Bradley and Stanley Johnson might be perfect substitutes for some of their top players throughout the season.
The Lakers travel to Memphis to face off the high-flying Grizzlies on Wednesday. They will wrap up the year with a home-game in the late hours against the Portland Trail Blazers.
