NBA highlights on Jan. 19: A bad day for Lakers

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The Los Angeles Lakers lost 134-138 in overtime to the Houston Rockets in their visit to the Toyota Center on Saturday. What's worse than the loss for the purple and gold was that their second-year guard Lonzo Ball suffered an injury to his left ankle in the game.

Lakers are one 'Ball' away from victory

Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball in the game that they lost to the Houston Rockets 134-138 on January 19. /VCG Photo

Kyle Kuzma scored the highest 32 points for LA with a remarkable 63.1 percent field goal rate (12/19). Lonzo Ball delivered 11 assists before he left the court in the third quarter. JaVale McGee dropped a double-double of 12 points and the court's highest 14 rebounds.

James Harden put down 48 points, which was his 19th game of scoring 30-plus points. Eric Gordon also dropped 30 points, including five three-pointers made out of 10 attempts. James Ennis and Gerald Green both scored double digits of respectively 18 and 17 points.

JaVale McGee #7 of the Lakers dunks in the game against the Rockets on January 19. /VCG Photo

The Lakers targeted at the paint in offense from the beginning since the Rockets did not have a real center to protect the rim. Kyle Kuzma was on fire in the first quarter to sink seven of his nine shots, including 4/5 from the 3-pt line, scoring 20 points. Ball (7) and Ingram (3) together delivered 10 assists. Meanwhile, Houston suffered from their too-small sizes on the court, thus often facing mismatch in defense.

The purple and gold were also well-prepared in stopping Harden. The team would send one player to remain closely in the left of Harden to lure him to enter the 3-pt line, where the other four Lakers were always ready to concentrate under the rim. If Harden chose to shoot a three-pointer against defense, the player defending him would avoid body contact so he would not earn free throws. Of course the Lakers had to pay the cost of watching other Houston's players shoot in the open.

James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball in the game where they defeated the Lakers 138-134 on January 19. /VCG Photo

In response to the Lakers' tactics above, Harden did not shoot much and instead tried to pass the ball to create opportunities for his teammates. However, the Rockets in the first quarter made only six of their 18 shots from the 3-pt line and had no other reliable scoring method, which explained why they trailed 39-26 in this quarter.

Houston in the second quarter continued their obsession with three-pointers but did not feel their hands grow any warmer. Moreover, many of the missed shots became rebounds by the taller Lakers who then turned them into early offense, their favorite offense style. As a result, the purple and gold led by 18 points (64-46) after the first half and were in advantageous position in rebounding (34-20), assisting (15-6), FG rate (55.1 percent-32.65 percent), second-chance point (14-2), early offense points (12-6), scoring in paint (40-16) and turnover point (12-5).

Lonzo Ball of the Lakers on the ground in pain from a left ankle injury in the game against the Rockets on January 19. /VCG Photo

The turning point of the game happened in the third quarter when Ball broke his left ankle in penetration and had be carried off the court. However, bad things always come in two. LA's head coach Luke Walton then was ejected after receiving his second technical foul. Having no maestro on the court and no head coach to calm the youth down, the Lakers fell into chaos in offense, which was reflected in their growing turnovers.

The Rockets took the opportunity and kept scoring in transition. Meanwhile, the steam began to find their target from the 3-pt line by making seven shots. Harden contributed 10 points this quarter with 71.4 percent of FG rate (5/7). The Rockets launched a 36-22 run in the third quarter to narrow the score down to 82-86.

Eric Gordon #10 of the Rockets sinks a three-pointer to tie the score 120-120 at the end of the fourth quarter in the game against the Lakers on January 19. /VCG Photo

LA in the fourth quarter put the ball into the hands of Lance Stephenson and gave Ivica Zubac more time. Stephenson, who only scored three points in the first three quarters, dropped 11 this quarter and made multiple key answer balls. Zubac also put down 11 points. However, Houston continued their hot hands in shooting and managed to tie the score 120-120, thanks finally to a three-pointer by Gordon.

Brandon Ingram, who was struggling most of the time, stood out in OT by scoring seven straight points to keep the game in a stalemate. The Rockets chose to launch consecutive attacks on the rim in order to take 2.16-meter Zubac out. Their efforts paid off as the 21-year-old young Laker committed four fouls in OT. Without Zubac, the Lakers had no reliable big man to turn to in offense and had to compete with the Rockets in shooting. Though Ingram scored four points, the purple and gold failed to stop Houston from claiming a comeback victory 138-134.

Other games on Saturday included: (away teams come first)

Oklahoma City Thunder 117-115 Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns 115-135 Charlotte Hornets

Sacramento Kings 103-101 Detroit Pistons

Dallas Mavericks 99-111 Indiana Pacers

Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 Orlando Magic

Boston Celtics 113-105 Atlanta Hawks

Memphis Grizzlies 90-119 Toronto Raptors

Miami Heat 117-103 Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers 102-124 Denver Nuggets