LA Lakers extended their lead in the series against the Houston Rockets, defeating the franchise from Texas in Game 4 tonight. The final result of this match was 110-100 for the purple and gold, who are now just one win away from the Western Conference finals.
LeBron and the guys had a 23-point lead with 7:21 until the end, but Houston started to splash from all positions making an 18-2 run and coming down to just seven points, 103-96. Alex Caruso’s clutch three with 35.2 seconds to go solved this match.
Houston wasn’t ahead during the entire match. The Rockets struggles in many areas, but the most important was rebounding, where they had twice as fewer boards than the LAL, 26-52. They would lose pace in the second period, once LA outscored them 31-19, gaining a 16-point lead at the halftime.
Anthony Davis and LBJ had more rebounds combined than the entire Rockets’ team. Davis ended the night with 29 points, game-high, and 12 boards with five assists. LeBron was near a triple-double again, with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and nine dimes. Both of the Lakers’ superstars didn’t hit a single three-pointer, 0-for-7 combined.
Rajon Rondo was once again all over the court. The 34-year old had 11 points, 10 boards, and eight dimes, playing well in defense too. His impact since coming back is massive, and the Lakers are looking much better with him active. Alex Caruso added 16 points, while Danny Green and Caldwell-Pope had 10 both.
Unlike the previous contests, Houston’s bench did deliver some points, but their starters failed to meet expectations. James Harden was 2-for-11 from the field, 1-for-6 from behind the arc. He did score 21 points, mostly due to free-throws 16-for-20, but in order to beat the Lakers, the Beard had to be much better.
PJ Tucker didn’t have a single bucket for 33 minutes on the court, and Robert Covington had three. Eric Gordon scored 19, while Russell Westbrook had a team-high 25 points. Brody had just three boards and assists, which tells a lot about the overall performance of the entire Rockets team.
Lakers lead 3-1 now and are awfully close to reaching the West finals, the first time since 2010. Back then, they eventually won the title by beating the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. If Boston wins Game 7 against the Raptors, there is a solid chance to see the same matchup once again.
Game 5 of the series against Houston is on Saturday.