The Sports Xchange
Dec 4, 2017
LOS ANGELES -- James Harden scored 36 points and handed out nine assists, and the Houston Rockets won their sixth consecutive road game with a 118-95 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night at Staples Center.
Houston has won all six road games in the streak by at least 15 points, setting an NBA record.
Eric Gordon scored 22 points off the bench and Chris Paul finished with 21 points and six assists for the Rockets (18-4).
Kyle Kuzma had 22 points and 12 rebounds off the bench to lead the Lakers (8-15). Brandon Ingram had 18 points and nine rebounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 16 points, and Larry Nance Jr. finished with 15 points and eight rebounds for Los Angeles, which has lost five straight.
The Rockets made a 3-pointer on their first possession of the second half to take their biggest lead through that point, 64-46, but the Lakers pulled as close as three points with a 12-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Brook Lopez.
After regaining a double-digit advantage with a 9-0 run, the Rockets took an 85-73 edge into the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles didn't get any closer.
Harden and Gordon scored 20 points apiece in the first half as the Rockets surged to a 61-46 lead following a slow start in their first game since Wednesday.
Houston missed nine of its first 11 field-goal attempts and committed three turnovers as the Lakers bolted to an 11-5 lead.
The score was tied at 27-27 entering the second quarter, and the Rockets used a 10-0 run to move ahead 39-32 on a 3-pointer by Harden. Los Angeles missed eight consecutive field-goal attempts before Kuzma hit a 3-pointer to end the run.
Harden stayed on the floor after picking up his third foul with 3:24 left, and Houston continued to expand its lead. Harden scored eight points in a span of 1:25 to give the Rockets their biggest lead at 59-44 with 1:11 remaining in the half, and they took the 15-point edge into the break.
NOTES: Houston F Ryan Anderson left late in the first half with back tightness and did not return. ... Lakers F Corey Brewer appeared in his 300th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the NBA. The last player to appear in at least 300 consecutive games was Tristan Thompson, whose streak of 447 straight appearances ended last April. Former Lakers forward A.C. Green owns the all-time record of 1,192 straight games played from 1986 to 2001. ... The Rockets' 10-1 start on the road this season is their best since opening 11-1 in the 1996-97 season. ... Houston has won six straight road games in the same season for the first time since 2010-11.