Lakers Rally to Beat Rockets in Shootout On Opening Night

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' first game of the season vs. the Houston Rockets where the young Lakers take over the 4th quarter behind Jordan Clarkson' 25 point explosion to beat the Rockets 114-120, reeling in the first win in the post-Kobe Bryant era.

We're going all the way baby! Okay, I'll pump the brakes on that. But, what a game. Not a great game if you're a defensive-minded guy, but like I said both these teams want to run the floor. And this game was exactly just that. The Lakers, as much as they've been down the whole game, they kept that win-mentality throughout the game. It goes to show that the young players took a page out of Kobe. But, that took a lot of will to rally in a shootout like that and even if there's 81 games left now, this win is a huge confidence booster as this team develops over the season.

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Jordan Clarkson, 25 points, 8-12 shooting. Whether he's starting or off the bench, we all know JC's a beast. He got off to a cold start this game, only managing 3 points on 1 field goal, but did he turn on the jets in the 2nd half. 22 points to account for the Lakers' 57 total points in that half. This guy continues to put the work in and I'm glad the Lakers brought him back.

D'Angelo Russell, 20 points, 7-16 shooting. The ice in the veins were there in the first quarter. Offensively, the Lakers could not get anything going to start the game. However, D'Lo asserted the fact that the Lakers are now his team and took over, making a couple of three pointers and drawing a 4-point play. He got cold in the 2nd half, but still made a couple of shots and key defensive plays. He had that one turnover late in the 4th that could've blow up the Lakers' victory plans, but he'll learn from in. Like I said, there'll be growing pains with D'Lo since he has control of the offense.

Timofey Mozgov, 12 points, 8 rebounds. For those criticizing the Mozgov addition, apologize right now!  Mozgov had quite a first half himself. He was shooting a near perfect percentage, before missing his last 4 shots. In addition with rebounds, Mozgov had a pretty solid outing and he's proving his worth on that $64 million deal.

Julius Randle, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 9-11 shooting. We've been clamoring for Randle to go strong to the rim and pass to the open man when trapped. I don't think he committed a single turnover this game. I have to re-check the stats sheet on that. Going back to Randle, this man shows he can be a double-double machine and he stepped up his game as a facilitator tonight. This game is a step in the right direction in developing Randle into an all-around player.

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Defense. Big time negative, but it can be cleaned up. Like I said, in the halftime post, if felt like the players were just jogging back and allowing the Rockets a lot of easy shots. We all know, James Harden will have his way, but most of the Laker players were either sleeping  or clamped down defensively this game. But, it was expected when facing a high-scoring team like the Rockets. The Lakers have emphasized on the defensive end all off-season and they have to make the necessary adjustments to communicate better and display more energy on that side of the floor.

Nick Young, 8 points, 3-12 shooting. I was impressed with Nick Young's valiant efforts on defense. I'll give him that. Offensively though, he stunk up the joint. I think this is some foreshadowing that Young is going to be a little inconsistent with his shot. Sometimes, he will live up to the Swaggy P nickname and sometimes he won't. Young had a poor shooting night and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of these cold shooting nights.

MVP

Jordan Clarkson, 25 points, 8-12 shooting

Clarkson came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark to out-shoot the Rockets when it mattered the most. He's continuing to go out there and improve from his previous two years and we're glad he's back with the team.

Conclusion

Now we look at the big picture, there are now 81 games left. The Lakers get that 1st win and now it's just a matter of building up from that win. They're young and there'll be times where they won't perform up to standards. But, like I said before, the team took a big step tonight getting this victory. They needed this win to cast out the shadow of Kobe Bryant and make a name for themselves. There are a lot of things to clean up and it's important for this team to take it one game at a time. Continue to develop, build the confidence, and build that chemistry. But, as always, a win is a plus, going 1-0 is a bigger plus. The Lakers won't be home until November 4 when they take on the Warriors. They open up a 4-game road trip after this game and they open up against Utah on Friday. Just to remind everyone I won't be providing open threads and full recaps for all 82 games of the Lakers, I will only do that when the game is nationally televised. But, I will continue to provide quick recaps on who's the top performer, who's in double figures, who recorded double/triple-doubles, etc. Stay tuned for those. Other than that, I'll see you guys in November for the much-anticipated Warriors matchup.