Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' home opener vs. the Houston Rockets where the Rockets made some key buckets down the stretch to help spoil LeBron's home debut 124-115.
Ugh, as I said, this is going to be one of most frustrating early season losses. It's been said before that good teams find ways to win and the Rockets did just that. They made timely buckets down the stretch. James Harden took the game over since Chris Paul's ejection and momentum just escalated in favor of the Rockets. Their loss against New Orleans on Wednesday definitely helped them wake up for this one.
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JaVale McGee, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 7-11 shooting. Didn't I say something along the lines that McGee is going to have a career year in LA? He continues to do so. I was surprised he hit a couple of a jump shots tonight. Even hitting a fadeaway off a broken possession. Of course, he had a field day on defense with the blocks. McGee literally almost swatted everything that came his way. It was a block party with McGee in the paint.
Lonzo Ball, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 5-10 shooting. This was a sight for sore eyes for Ball to rain down some threes. He did fire a pair of air balls, which puts a damper on his game. Defense wasn't on point as well. Then again, Chris Paul and James Harden are offensive maestros in the back court. But, Zo looks like he's regaining his bounce. I liked his hustle and activity tonight. Especially with Rondo facing suspension, Zo is going to have a lot more run.
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Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram suspensions. Now, this has got to be the biggest storyline heading forward into the season Let me break this down play-by-play. Like about late in the 4th quarter, James Harden drew a foul on Ingram as he got on the fastbreak. Ingram got frustrated and shoved Harden from behind. Both of them had to be separated. Ingram proceeded to take his frustrations on the officials. Then another incident occurred between Rondo and CP3. Both exchanged punches with CP3 claiming that Rondo spit on him. But, Ingram got himself into the brawl and landed a near haymaker on CP3. As a result, all three were ejected and possibly facing lengthy suspensions. Rondo and CP3 are seasoned veterans, so this likely hurts them less. But, CP3's absence could hinder the Rockets. The suspension definitely hurts Ingram. Yes, the Rockets have a tendency to draw fouls and it gets into every team's heads. I personally dislike the Rockets' antics. I especially can't stand CP3 as well. But, B.I. let the antics get into his head. It was very uncharacteristic given B.I's calm and collected demeanor to unleash such a side we've never seen from him before. It hurts thinking about the fact that he might serve as lengthy suspension because it's going to be detrimental to his growth. This season was projected as Ingram's coming-of-age as a superstar. And the fact that a long suspension looms over B.I. deteriorates that anticipated season. It's all in the hands in the NBA on what disciplinary action they could take.
Defensive breakdowns. On the game side, this was one of the reasons the Lakers lost this game. There was a lot of miscommunication on the defensive end. It's especially bad when you give Harden all the time in the world to shoot the ball because the Lakers left him open on certain sequences of this game. It was especially apparent down the stretch. P.J. Tucker is not a great three point shooter, but they have to close out regardless. And he hit a dagger three to give the Rockets some breathing room.
Free throw shooting. The Lakers need a high-percentage free throw shooter. It's saying something when the roster contains under 80% free throw shooters. KCP missed a technical free throw. Josh Hart failed to convert on the Flagrant 1 free throws. LeBron missed some free throws. Lance Stephenson split free throws at the worst possible time. There were many instances that the Lakers can creep back in had they made some key free throws, but it hasn't happened.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 5 points, 2-8 shooting. I'll give KCP a few more games before we start putting the pitchforks on Luke Walton to start Josh Hart and give Svi Mykhailiuk a shot in the rotation. But right now, terrible start for KCP.
MVP
JaVale McGee is in for a career year. Mark my words. He was pure energy tonight from both the offensive and defensive ends of the ball. Rockets had to drive on McGee at their own risk of getting their shot swatted back into the stands.
Conclusion
Oh , I'm missing how LeBron James did. Well, he didn't have a good shooting night. He still stuff the stat sheet as expected with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Just want to throw that out there. But, overall, we have to see what the repercussions are regarding B.I.'s status. Already a bad start and it could get even worse. But, this team has to refine the brotherhood, hang together, and face adversity in a tough Western Conference. I'll leave it at there. I'll see you guys Monday for the game against San Antonio.
