Los Angeles Lakers (43-25) beat Houston Rockets (41-26) 100-92 on the road on Monday, March 16 in a low-scoring game: just 192 combined points between the two teams.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers had the better start, winning the first 29-28 to lead by 1 after one. The Rockets moved in front with a 29-22 second quarter, carrying a 6-point lead into halftime.
The Lakers won the third 32-23 to turn the game around, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Lakers took the fourth 17-12; the Lakers finished the job for a 100-92 regulation win.
What decided it
The Lakers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.9% of possessions compared with 23.8% for the Rockets. The Lakers made 21.4 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 13.9 for the Rockets. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Rockets did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 42.9% against 29.3%. The Lakers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 93 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 107.9 points per 100 possessions to 99.3 for the Rockets.
Who made the difference
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 36 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast on 14-27 shooting. His Game Score of 24.5 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 19 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast on 8-13 shooting, good for a 17.3 Game Score.
Amen Thompson (19 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Lakers entered with about a 34% chance.
Across the last 4 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Lakers are now 43-25, and the Rockets are 41-26. The Lakers last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.