NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers came from 19 points down to get a much-needed win against the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets led by 10 points at the end of the first quarter and by as many as 19 during the third quarter. But LeBron and the Lakers refused to go down quietly. They made a late run at the end of the third quarter to cut the lead down to 7 and then played with contagious energy in the entire fourth quarter to get the win.
With the win, the Lakers have closed the gap to the 8th seeded Clippers and are 2.5 games off the pace. They are 10th in the Western Conference playoff standings with a 29-29 record and are 1 game behind the 9th seeded Sacramento Kings.
The Rockets, on the other hand, have a 33-25 record and are 5th in the standings. James Harden continued his offensive onslaught, producing his 32nd consecutive 30-point game.
Let's have a look at the key talking points from this match:
#3 Rebounding difference between the two teams
One of the glaring weaknesses in this Rockets team is the lack of effort in defensive rebounding. That weakness was fully exploited by the Lakers in this match as they swarmed bodies in the paint and tried to go for offensive rebounds.
The Lakers had a 49-38 rebounding advantage and 12-4 on the offensive end. That led to a lot of 2nd chance points and kept the Lakers' hopes alive.
The Rockets shot a better percentage in the game but these extra possessions really made them suffer. The Lakers will be looking for similar effort on the boards in every game as they look to make a push for the playoffs.