The Christian Wood missile center attempts to shoot at Anthony Davis, the Lakers forward, during Tuesday’s game in Houston. Davis blocked five shots in the Lakers’ 117-100 win. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Dennis Schroder, the Lakers Guardian, shoots while the Missile Guardian James Harden looks on in Houston during the first half of the game on Tuesday. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
John Wall (1), the guardian of the Houston Rockets, rides on Dennis Schroeder (17) of the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA basketball game in Houston on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, 23, watches his shot alongside Houston Rockets security guard James Harden, 13, during an NBA basketball game in Houston on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
James Harden, 13, the guardian of the Houston Rockets, has a shot from Anthony Davis (3), the striker of the Los Angeles Lakers, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston , blocked. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Houston Rockets Center Christian Wood (35) shoots the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA basketball game in Houston on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, 3, will be fouled in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 21, 2021 in Houston by Houston Rockets forward P. J. Tucker, 17. (Troy Taormina / Pool Photo via AP)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots Houston Rockets security guard James Harden (13) during an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
James Harden (13), the guardian of the Houston Rockets, blocked a shot from Anthony Davis (3), the striker of the Los Angeles Lakers, as Dennis Schroeder (17), the waker of the Lakers, during an NBA -Basketball game defended in Houston on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
James Harden, 13, the guardian of the Houston Rockets, shoots the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA basketball game in Houston on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, 23, shoots the Houston Rockets during an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Houston Rockets security guard James Harden, 13, falls while attempting to hit Los striker Anthony Davis (3) in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston Angeles Lakers to drive. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Dennis Schroeder (17), the guardian of the Los Angeles Lakers, passes the ball when he is played by James Harden (13), the guardian of the Houston Rockets, being defended. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Houston Rockets Center Christian Wood (35) plays against Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (1) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Houston Rockets Center Christian Wood responds to a non-lazy second quarter call against the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA basketball game in Houston on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Houston Rockets Center Christian Wood (35) tries to score a ricochet from Los Angeles Lakers Center Montrezl Harrell (15) in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
James Harden, 13, the guardian of the Houston Rockets, shoots against Anthony Davis (3) of Los Angeles Lakers and Dennis Schroeder of Lakers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 21, 2021 in Houston . (Troy Taormina / Pool Photo via AP)
LeBron James, the Lakers forward, shoots missile guard John Wall in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game in Houston. James had 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 117-100 win. (Troy Taormina / Pool Photo via AP)
Houston Rockets Center Christian Wood (35) shoots the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 21, 2021 in Houston. (Troy Taormina / Pool Photo via AP)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives the ball against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 21, 2021 in Houston . (Troy Taormina / Pool Photo via AP)
Houston Rockets Center Christian Wood (35) reacts after a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 21, 2021 in Houston. (Troy Taormina / Pool Photo via AP)
January 12, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Christian Wood, 35, tries to hit the ball against Los Angeles Lakers Guardian Dennis Schroeder (17) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Houston on Tuesday, January 21, 2021 check. (Troy Taormina / Pool Photo via AP)
Houston Rockets security guard James Harden, 13, responds to a call during the team’s NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Houston on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Los Angeles Lakers Center Montrezl Harrell (15) shoots against the Houston Rockets in an NBA basketball game in the second quarter on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, 23, hits a 3-point shot against Ben McLemore, the guardian of the Houston Rockets, during an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Center of the Houston Rockets, Christian Wood, 35, loses the ball when he was in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Houston by Dennis Schroeder, 17, the security guard of Los Angeles Lakers, being defended. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle via AP)
If the square were a playground, the Houston Rockets would look up to the Lakers, whose lunch money was being ripped out of their pockets with dirt on their faces.
Tuesday night was less of a basketball game than old-fashioned bullying. The Lakers (9-3) robbed the Rockets (3-6) of their dignity in a 117-100 router in which the defending champions showed their hosts exuberantly.
LeBron James led both the production (26 points) and the show: in the second quarter he slowly set a 3-pointer off the wing and then turned to the Lakers bench as it went down – which was his Put teammates in hysteria.
The Lakers have made it a habit to emasculate Houston: After their 4-1 win in the playoff series in September, they have now won six games in a row against the Rockets. The latest certainly didn’t sting as much as the second round blowout they blew out of the bubble – but as for the regular season games, they don’t get much more hurtful.
The win was the Lakers’ third straight and left them alone in the league.
Anthony Davis (19 points, 10 rebounds) led the second strong defensive performance in a row against the Rockets and recorded the best five blocked shots of the season. The last came on a fast-break attempt by rocket guard Sterling Brown, followed by Davis – a hopeful Defensive Player of the Year – with a menacing scowl that seemed to question Brown’s audacity.
It was a feeling that generally applied to Houston, which shot just 39.2 percent overall, two days after losing 18 points. The Lakers collected 12 blocks and 10 steals and repeatedly slipped at the seams of a Rockets team that seemed disjointed and at times confused.
Christian Wood had a team high of 18 points for the Rockets. James Harden only scored 16 points and left the field 5 to 16.
James led early, landing four of his first five shots and adding two assists to give the Lakers a 28-10 lead in a flash. By the end of the first quarter, the Lakers were leading by 21 points and never looked back.
Dennis Schröder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 14 points each and Montrezl Harrell added 13. Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso, both of whom had recently returned to the lineup, had three steals apiece, adding to the defensive effort. Starting center Marc Gasol scored just five points but added five assists.
The Lakers will play the second night of their duel in Oklahoma City on Wednesday to complete the three-game journey. The team is 1-1 on the second night of this season so far.
More on this story.
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Lakers hit missiles when Anthony Davis returns to court
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gives Lakers a jolt on comeback
Frank Vogel cleverly juggles with rotation minutes for stacked Lakers
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