Game ID: 22300216
Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 9:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 20 29 32 24 105HOU 28 27 20 29 104
HOU @ LAL ScoutingHOU @ LAL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 5 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/08 after 4, 23 min since (85% of 27)
BACK Prince back 11/06 after 2, 31 min since (117% of 27)
BACK Christie back 11/01 after 3, 22 min since (157% of 14)
BACK Hayes back 11/10 after 2, 5 min since (39% of 12)
NEW Reddish 20 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Wood 17 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 6 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/08 after 4, 26 min since (97% of 27)
BACK Prince back 11/06 after 2, 32 min since (119% of 27)
BACK Hayes back 11/10 after 2, 6 min since (48% of 12)
NEW Reddish 20 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Wood 17 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Christie 14 to 20 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 11/15 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 7 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/08 after 4, 26 min since (95% of 27)
BACK Prince back 11/06 after 2, 31 min since (117% of 27)
BACK Hayes back 11/10 after 2, 11 min since (90% of 12)
NEW Reddish 20 to 29 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 8 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/08 after 4, 24 min since (89% of 27)
BACK Hayes back 11/10 after 2, 12 min since (95% of 12)
NEW Reddish 20 to 29 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 9 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hayes back 11/10 after 2, 11 min since (90% of 12)
NEW Reddish 20 to 31 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 10 since 11/01, out tonight
NEW Reddish 20 to 33 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/22 · back-to-backOUT Vanderbilt missed 2 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 11 since 11/01, out tonight
NEW Reddish 20 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/25 · 2 days' restOUT Vanderbilt missed 3 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 12 since 11/01, out tonight
NEW Reddish 20 to 27 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Reddish missed 2 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 4 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 13 since 11/01, out tonight
NEW Christie 14 to 21 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Eason missed 4 since 10/29, returns tonight: 14 min (65% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 7 min since (36% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 17 min since (104% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 16 min since (115% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 14 min since (65% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 7 min since (36% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 18 min since (113% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 15 min since (108% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (76% of 22)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 18 min since (108% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 13 min since (97% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/17 · 4 days' restOUT Thompson missed 5 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 16 min since (75% of 22)
NEW Tate 16 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (79% of 22)
HOU availability going into 11/20 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (79% of 22)
HOU availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 8 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
HOU availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
HOU availability going into 11/28 · 3 days' restOUT Thompson missed 10 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 8 since 11/08, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 28 and Russell at 19 a game. Without Vincent (9 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 100, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Thompson (6 straight), Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 44 percent from three to Houston's 36 and the defense, Houston allowing 100 a night to the Lakers' 111. Call it Houston 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/12 vs POR 116-110 — LAL notes
LAL won 116-110. LAL shot 49% (41 of 84) to POR's 50%, 4 of 19 from three, and went to the line 37 times to POR's 9 — 30 points from the stripe to their 7. LAL turned it over 9 times to POR's 15. Davis led with 30 (10 of 20, 10 of 12 at the line); Hachimura added 19, Reddish 18. The hinge was Q3, 35-23: LAL came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 11. LAL trailed 56-57 at the half and won the second half 60-53. Davis was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
11/14 vs MEM 134-107 — LAL notes
LAL won 134-107. LAL shot 58% (47 of 81) to MEM's 37%, 22 of 35 from three, and went to the line 24 times to MEM's 12 — 18 points from the stripe to their 9. LAL turned it over 18 times to MEM's 9, and MEM turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 54-33 for them. Russell led with 24 (8 of 12, 6 of 8 from three); Hachimura added 23, Davis 19. The hinge was Q2, 37-25: a lead of 11 became 23, and the lead reached 31. Russell was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
11/15 vs SAC 110-125 — LAL notes
LAL lost 110-125. LAL shot 51% (42 of 83) to SAC's 50%, 11 of 29 from three. LAL turned it over 23 times to SAC's 15, and SAC turned those into 20 steals. James led with 28 (9 of 15, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Russell added 28, Reddish 16. Q4 was theirs, 30-21, the deficit cut from 24 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 104-80 against them. Prince's -24 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/17 @ POR 107-95 — LAL notes
LAL won 107-95. LAL shot 49% (40 of 81) to POR's 40%, 12 of 29 from three. James led with 35 (13 of 22, 5 of 9 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Davis added 16, Russell 14. The hinge was Q1, 30-23: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 17. James was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
11/19 vs HOU 105-104 — LAL notes
LAL won 105-104. LAL shot 47% (39 of 83) to HOU's 49%, 6 of 29 from three, and went to the line 29 times to HOU's 10 — 21 points from the stripe to their 8. James led with 37 (14 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Davis added 27, Reaves 17. The hinge was Q3, 32-20: LAL came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 6. LAL trailed 49-55 at the half and won the second half 56-49.
11/21 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; James at 29 and Davis at 20 a game. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Vincent (10 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 125, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Clarkson at 30 and Markkanen at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Kessler (5 straight), Hendricks (12 straight), Sensabaugh (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 108 a night to Utah's 125. Call it the Lakers 120, Utah 114.
11/22 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 106, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 27 and Davis at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. They have won the glass by 7 a night. Without Vanderbilt (2 straight), Vincent (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 127, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Irving at 28 and Dončić at 26 a game. Without Kleber (6 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 106 a night to Dallas's 127 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-7 a night and Dallas minus-2. Call it the Lakers 120, Dallas 115.
11/25 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Garland at 25 and Eva. Mobley at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Okoro (9 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; James at 29 and Davis at 18 a game. Without Vanderbilt (3 straight), Vincent (12 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/27 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Embiid at 33 and Maxey at 24 a game. Without Oubre Jr. (8 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 27 and Davis at 22 a game. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Reddish (2 straight), Vanderbilt (4 straight), Vincent (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 103 a night to Philadelphia's 114 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 31 free throws a game to the Lakers' 24. Call it Philadelphia 115, the Lakers 112, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/08 vs LAL 128-94 — HOU notes
HOU won 128-94. HOU shot 55% (51 of 93) to LAL's 42%, 14 of 33 from three. The glass went 57-34 for them. Ja. Green led with 28 (11 of 15, 5 of 6 from three); Sengun added 19, Tate 14. The hinge was Q1, 32-19: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 35. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
11/10 vs NOP 104-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 104-101. HOU shot 41% (36 of 88) to NOP's 45%, 10 of 35 from three, and got to the line 28 times to NOP's 34. HOU turned it over 9 times to NOP's 18. Ja. Green led with 25 (7 of 18, 2 of 8 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Sengun added 24, VanVleet 20. The hinge was Q4, 34-22: HOU came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 3. Je. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
11/12 vs DEN 107-104 — HOU notes
HOU won 107-104. HOU shot 43% (37 of 87) to DEN's 46%, 10 of 32 from three, and went to the line 29 times to DEN's 14 — 23 points from the stripe to their 11. VanVleet led with 26 (9 of 21, 3 of 9 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Sengun added 23, Je. Green 15. The hinge was Q4, 33-28: HOU came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 3. HOU trailed 46-50 at the half and won the second half 61-54. Je. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
11/17 @ LAC 100-106 — HOU notes
HOU lost 100-106. HOU shot 43% (38 of 88) to LAC's 43%, 10 of 31 from three, and got to the line 20 times to LAC's 30. Sengun led with 23 (8 of 18, 2 of 5 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Ja. Green added 20, VanVleet 19. Q2 was theirs, 27-19, turning a 6-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 87-73 against them.
11/19 @ LAL 104-105 — HOU notes
HOU lost 104-105. HOU shot 49% (41 of 84) to LAL's 47%, 14 of 37 from three, and got to the line just 10 times against 25 fouls committed. Brooks led with 24 (9 of 21, 6 of 11 from three); Sengun added 23, VanVleet 15. Q1 was theirs, 28-20, but the other 3 periods went 85-76 against them. They led by as many as 11. Eason's -18 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/20 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 119, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Wiggins at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Green (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 102, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. Without Thompson (7 straight), Whitmore (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 102 a night to Golden State's 119 and the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 13. Call it Houston 111, Golden State 110, Golden State keeping it close.
11/22 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 107, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and VanVleet at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Thompson (8 straight), Whitmore (6 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 114, shooting 42 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Bane at 27 and Aldama at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morant (13 straight), Smart (2 straight), Jackson (9 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 107 a night to Memphis's 114 and the arc, Memphis at 37 percent from three to Houston's 32. Call it Houston 112, Memphis 108, Memphis keeping it close.
11/24 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 105, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. Without Thompson (9 straight), Whitmore (7 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 23 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 105 a night to Denver's 114 and the arc, Denver at 37 percent from three to Houston's 33. Call it Houston 111, Denver 108, Denver keeping it close.
11/28 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and Irving at 29 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Kleber (8 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 102, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Thompson (10 straight), Whitmore (8 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 102 a night to Dallas's 117 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-1 a night and Dallas minus-5. Call it Dallas 112, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CR C. Reddish
CW C. Wood
DR D. Russell
JH J. Hayes
LJ L. James
RH R. Hachimura
TP T. Prince
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
TE T. Eason
LAL/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
James scores season-high 37, hits go-ahead free throw as Lakers hold off Rockets 105-104
LOS ANGELES -- — Going into Sunday night's game, LeBron James wasn't motivated alone by Dillon Brooks ' slights against him.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar took to Instagram on Saturday night and wrote under a graphic showing he had 108 games with at least 30 points since coming to Los Angeles in 2018 “But I just came here to make movies though! Ain't that what y'all said right !?!?”
That graphic needs to be updated.
James scored a season-high 37 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 1.9 seconds remaining, as the Lakers held off the Houston Rockets 105-104 on Sunday night.
It was James’ fifth 30-point game this season and his fourth in his last seven.
“Sometimes you need to remind people. So that’s what it was,” James said about the graphic.
Alperen Sengun 's layup tied it with four seconds remaining when the Lakers called timeout. Austin Reaves passed it into James, who was fouled by Tari Eason as he drove inside. James missed the first free throw, but made the second.
Houston, which did not have a timeout left, got the ball to midcourt, but Brooks' 3-point attempt was offline.
“I liked how we battled back and kept fighting. We just didn't play smart at the end,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said.
James scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and gave the Lakers their fifth win in the last six games.
Earlier in the game, the NBA's All-Time leading scorer became the fourth player in league history with at least 10,500 assists (he finished with eight and is at 10,504). He also tied Vince Carter for seventh on the 3-pointers list with 2,290, and moved past Clyde Drexler for eighth on the steals list at 2,208.
“That's the LeBron we’ve all come to know and love over these 21 years,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
James and Brooks, who have had a nice rivalry going since last season's playoff series between the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies , put on another entertaining show.
James picked up a technical for shoving Brooks early in the third quarter but then made a “too small” gesture on the court after he scored over Brooks late in the quarter.
“He's a great competitor. I like going against him. And he was hooping tonight for sure. He shot the ball exceptionally well and kept them in the game,” James said.
Anthony Davis added 27 points and 10 rebounds, but fouled out with 58 seconds remaining. Reaves came off the bench and had 17 points.
Brooks led the Rockets with 24 points, including a season-high six 3-pointers, and Sengun had 23. Houston has dropped two straight after five straight wins.
UP NEXT
Rockets: At Golden State on Monday night.
Lakers: Host Utah on Tuesday in the In-Season Tournament.