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The shorthanded LA Lakers fell to a 114-110 defeat against the struggling Houston Rockets 114-110 on Wednesday (Mar. 15) night.
LA was without their stars LeBron James (foot) and Anthony Davis (injury management). The Rockets got off to a quick start, leading by as many as 18 before the Lakers came back to make it a close game. However, Lakers coach Darvin Ham was left frustrated with his team’s all-around lack of effort as they let a winnable game slip away.
During his postgame interview, Ham spoke about how the Lakers need to be the team that brings energy early on in games:
“Coming out of the gates (our energy) was nonexistent. I didn’t see a lot of that. But I saw it on Houston’s part. Young team, regardless of what their record is, they came to play. We felt them. They made us feel them in terms of them attacking the paint, them getting hits, them getting offensive rebounds, getting themselves extra possessions.
“We should've been the ones playing with that type of edge. But so goes the NBA. You have your ups and downs. There are no excuses. Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for you, no matter who is in or out of the lineup. “We gotta come with guys who are available and capable of playing. We gotta come and put our best foot forward."
The Rockets were led by combo guard Kevin Porter Jr., who finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, six assists and one steal on 68.8% shooting. Meanwhile, the Lakers were led by second-year guard Austin Reaves, who finished with 24 points, four rebounds, seven assists and one steal on 42.9% shooting.
LA Lakers’ updated play-in positioning
Following their loss to the Rockets, LA (34-36, 10th in the West) is on the verge of falling out of the Western Conference play-in picture.
With just 12 games remaining, the Lakers are just half a game ahead of the 11th-placed Utah Jazz (33-36) and 12th-placed New Orleans Pelicans (33-36). That should make a loss to the 15th-placed Rockets (17-52) all the more painful for LA.
LA will next play on Friday (Mar. 17) againat Dallas (35-35, eighth in the West) in another critical game that could shift the West standings. The game will mark the first of a five-game homestand for the Lakers.
