Final
Harden leads Rockets over Bryant, Lakers
Oct 29, 2014 - 6:29 AMVideo
Terrence Jones registered a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double and Dwight Howard tallied 13 points with 11 rebounds for Houston, which has won four in a row over the Lakers.
"We looked pretty solid on defense," said Harden. "We did a pretty good job of executing. For me, it's just getting into a rhythm."
Bryant, who played just six games last season because of Achilles and knee injuries, paced the Lakers with 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
"I felt fine and the pace felt good," said Bryant. "You can only control what you can control."
Carlos Boozer tallied 17 points with seven rebounds and former Rocket Jeremy Lin added seven points with six assists in their Lakers debuts.
The Lakers played their first regular-season game under new coach Byron Scott but lost rookie forward Julius Randle, who suffered a broken right leg midway through the fourth quarter in his NBA debut.
"It's heartbreaking," Scott said. "It's his first game and he goes down. We're thin already."
Randle, the No. 7 overall draft pick out of Kentucky, fell hard after a drive to the lane with under seven minutes left. He grasped his leg, and the entire LA team and medical staff eventually made it onto the court to show support for the rookie.
After several minutes, Randle's leg was placed in an air cast and he was helped onto a stretcher and wheeled off the court.
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Randle was 1-for-3 from the floor for two points in 13 1/2 minutes.
"Not much we can do about it right now except just try to keep his spirits up," said Bryant.
It was all Houston from the start.
Howard opened his season with a hook shot, then Wesley Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to give LA an early lead. Jones' jumper 21 seconds later moved the Rockets back in front, and they never trailed again.
Jason Terry, making his Houston debut, buried a pair of 3-pointers to cap the scoring in the first for a 31-19 lead.
Although the Lakers shot over 52 percent from the floor in the second, they still managed to lose the quarter and trailed 62-45 at the break.
A pair of Jordan Hill free throws with under seven minutes left in the third cut the hosts' deficit to seven, but that's as close as they would get.
Houston led by as many as 27 in the fourth quarter and cruised to the win.
Game Notes
Bryant and Howard were whistled for technical fouls and both had to be restrained after Howard hit Bryant in the face with an elbow ... Trevor Ariza, signed by the Rockets after Chandler Parsons left for Dallas, scored 16 points in the win ... Ed Davis scored 11 points off the bench for LA ... The Rockets were 12-for-29 on 3-pointers while the Lakers went 3-for-10.
Oct 29 1:33 AM- HOUSTON: 85
LOS ANGELES: 69
End of 3rd
Oct 29 12:44 AM - 54
roots - 48
roots - 41
roots - 46
roots - 32
roots - HOUSTON: 62
LOS ANGELES: 45
Halftime
Oct 28 11:52 PM - HOUSTON: 31
LOS ANGELES: 19
End of 1st
Oct 28 11:16 PM - HOUSTON: 0
LOS ANGELES: 0
1st Quarter - 11:39
Oct 28 10:46 PM
Related News
- Lakers Reportedly Willing to Explore Adding Bronny James Feb 15
- Warriors Reportedly Attempted to Trade for LeBron James Feb 14
- Knicks Robbed By Late Call on Jalen Brunson Feb 13
- Shaquille O’Neal To Be First To Have Jersey Retired by Magic Jan 4
- LeBron James Has Been At His Best for Many Birthdays Dec 29
- Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers game preview Dec 26
- Lakers show potential vs. Celtics, but work still to be done Dec 25
- Celtics handle Lakers despite Anthony Davis’ strong showing Dec 25
- Lakers vs. Celtics Preview and Game Thread: Rivalry renewed in Christmas tradition Dec 24
- Darvin Ham discusses starting lineup change after win vs. Thunder Dec 24
- Alperen Sengun’s career night lifts Rockets over Pelicans 106-104 Dec 24
- Players Grades: Lakers vs. Thunder Dec 24