The Houston Rockets secured an impressive 135-119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, showcasing the talents of Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun during Monday’s NBA action. Green scored 34 points, while Sengun added 31 points.
“I’m building on it,” Green said. “That’s what he wants from me. That’s what I want for myself. Brick by brick, just going to keep learning and keep growing each game.”
The Rockets established a commanding lead in the second half, at one point leading by 30 points. However, the Lakers mounted a significant comeback, narrowing the gap to just 10 points with four minutes remaining. But the Rockets quickly responded, extending their lead and prompting the Lakers to bench their starters.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell each contributed 23 points for the Lakers, coming off a two-game winning streak. Cam Whitmore, coming off the bench for Houston, scored 20 points, while Jabari Smith Jr. made a strong comeback from injury with 18 points and nine rebounds. Both Green and Sengun also impressed with their all-around play, recording 12 rebounds and seven assists each.
A tense moment occurred when James was hit in the face during a rebound scuffle, resulting in a flagrant 1 foul. James stayed in the game despite the incident, which led to a brief Lakers rally, cutting the Rockets’ lead. The Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt was ejected in the second quarter following a heated exchange with Brooks, which included a pushing incident.
“I feel like he felt like I did a dirty play,” Brooks said. “And when he feels that way, he likes to bump. And it’s basketball, we bump and tussle, and I feel like he took it a little too far.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Rockets dominated the third quarter, extending their lead significantly, though the Lakers attempted to close the gap with an 11-2 run led by Davis. LeBron James expressed disappointment with the team’s performance at the end of the first quarter.
“We just didn’t get back,” James said. “We didn’t have a sense of care factor. We didn’t have no care factor in those last two minutes.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
James chose not to discuss Brooks’ latest antics, but Davis made clear he felt Brooks should have been ejected for making a play that put a player in a potentially dangerous position.
“You take a hard foul, it’s part of basketball,” Davis said. “But you’re just not going to blatantly push someone in their back when they have no control of their body in the air. I think he should have got ejected for that. And then … obviously, you know that he and Bron have their whatever, and from what I saw, it was just a blatant hit on LeBron to the face.”
Looking forward, the Lakers are set to visit the Atlanta Hawks, while the Rockets will host the New Orleans Pelicans in their next games.
