Los Angeles Lakers beat Houston Rockets 98-78 on the road on Friday, May 1. The final margin was 20 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 23-18 and a 5-point lead after one. The Lakers kept the pressure on with a 26-13 second quarter, carrying a 18-point lead into halftime.
The Rockets won the third 24-22 to stay in front, taking a 16-point lead into the fourth. The Lakers took the fourth 27-23; the Lakers finished the job for a 98-78 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Lakers grabbed 28.8% of their own misses, while the Rockets recovered 17%. The Lakers got more from their shots, finishing at 47.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 38.1% for the Rockets. The second chances kept adding up.
The Rockets did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 21.3 against 15.7. The Lakers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 94 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 104.2 points per 100 possessions to 82.9 for the Rockets.
The Lakers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 24-10.
Who stood out
LeBron James was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 28 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast on 10-25 shooting. His Game Score of 18 led everyone. His team was +26 with him on the floor.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 18 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk on 7-14 shooting, good for a 13.2 Game Score.
Alperen Sengun (17 pts, 11 reb, 1 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 11 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 7-4.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.