Rockets dominate Lakers from start to finish on Christmas and snap losing streak

LOS ANGELES. – With a solid performance on both sides of the court, the Houston Rockets convincingly defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 117-96 in the traditional Christmas Day game, in a match in which they were never at a disadvantage and ended a streak of two consecutive losses.

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Amen Thompson led Houston’s offense with 26 points, leading six players who scored in double figures. The young guard also contributed seven rebounds and five assists, being one of the main figures of the match. Kevin Durant was another pillar of the triumph, recording 25 points and nine assists, guiding a Rockets team that improved its away record to 7-7. The collective dominance of the Texan team was evident from the initial jump. For the Lakers, Luka Doncic finished with 25 points, while LeBron James added 18 in what was the 27th consecutive appearance of the Los Angeles team in Christmas games and the number 52 in its history within this traditional NBA day. However, the result extended the team’s streak of consecutive defeats to three, which now marks 25-27 in the season. Doncic and James combined to make four of 11 attempts from the three-point line and were responsible for nine of the Lakers’ 16 turnovers, a determining factor in the development of the game. The Slovenian star returned to action after missing the previous game in Phoenix due to a left leg injury suffered last weekend against the Clippers. The duel also had a historical nuance, as it pitted James and Durant against each other, the two players with the most points scored in NBA history, being the first time that a pair of rivals reached a game with such an offensive accumulation in their careers. In the paint, Alperen Sengun was key to Houston’s dominance by capturing 12 rebounds, contributing to the Rockets’ significant out-rebounding of the Lakers 48-25, matching the number of rebounds of the entire starting lineup of the home team by himself.