During the first half of this season, as well as last season, the Los Angeles Lakers had very few runaway double-digit wins.
However, it seems as though they’re starting to make winning by sizable margins a habit.
On Sunday, they visited the Houston Rockets and embarrassed them, 134-109, in front of their home fans. By doing so, the Lakers rose to seventh place in the Western Conference. They’re just half a game behind the sixth-place Los Angeles Clippers and one game behind the fifth-place Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles opened a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and it never looked back. It sliced and diced the worst team in the West by taking advantage of one of the NBA’s worst defenses.
Even better, the team didn’t get complacent, as it continued to increase its lead throughout the second half.
The Lakers are 15-7 since the players acquired in the Russell Westbrook trade debuted, and with a 40-38 record, they seem to be streaking toward bypassing the play-in tournament.
Anthony Davis: A-plus
Davis decimated the Rockets’ front line; they simply had no answer for him.
He dominated in the paint, something he has been doing all season, and he finished with 40 points on 15-of-20 shooting from the field and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line, plus nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
He did all that despite appearing to injure his ankle on Friday against the Timberwolves.
This was the third straight game in which Davis had at least 38 points. After the game, he said he feels like he’s back to where he was prior to the stress injury he suffered in December, when he had as dominant a one-month stretch as anyone can remember seeing.
Jarred Vanderbilt: C-plus
Vanderbilt played just 15 minutes versus Houston, and he grabbed four rebounds while scoring just one basket. He added one assist and one steal.
LeBron James: B/B-plus
James was somewhat quiet offensively, scoring 18 points on 8-of-18 shooting while going 1-of-7 from 3-point range. However, he dished 11 assists, and his 10 rebounds gave him a triple-double.
It seems James is taking it a little easy, perhaps knowing that he’s still regaining his rhythm and cardio after missing a month with a right foot tendon injury. In addition, his best hasn’t necessarily been needed over the last few games, especially given Davis’ stellar play and the help he has received from his other teammates.
D'Angelo Russell: Incomplete
Russell played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring six points on 2-of-4 shooting (all four of his shot attempts were from downtown) and adding four assists and three rebounds.
However, he didn’t play after halftime due to soreness in his left foot.
Afterward, head coach Darvin Ham said Russell could’ve played in the second half if he had to and that the decision to hold him out in the second half was precautionary.
Austin Reaves: A
Reaves’ stellar play of late has continued relatively uninterrupted.
On Sunday, he played 33 minutes and scored 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting while doing a nice job of drawing fouls, which resulted in him going 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He was also second on the team with eight assists.
Reaves’ emergence as a very good secondary ball-handler and facilitator resulted in the Lakers tallying 36 assists for the game.
Rui Hachimura: A-plus
Hachimura broke out in a big way on Sunday. His play has been up and down since coming to L.A. in late January, but he stood out against the Rockets.
The Japan native scored 20 points on a remarkable 10-of-14 shooting while also grabbing 12 rebounds in just 24 minutes. He did plenty of damage in the paint, which included multiple dunks.
But what was most impressive about Hachimura’s play was what he did on the defensive end. He blocked three shots and was a disrupter in that department when he was on the court.
Indeed, defense will be a big key to Hachimura securing a future with the Lakers beyond this season, and he has shined brightly on that end of the floor in his last two games.
Wenyen Gabriel: B-minus
Gabriel played 14 minutes on Sunday, and he had two points, three rebounds and one blocked shot. His playing time has gone down somewhat since James returned to game action, but he hasn’t complained, and he has continued to play hard when he is on the court.
Troy Brown Jr.: B-plus/A-minus
In 26 minutes, Brown made all three of his shot attempts, which included a 3-pointer, while also contributing two rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
He ended the month of March shooting 41.9% from 3-point range in 15 games, and continuing that hot shooting would help improve the Lakers’ chances in the playoffs, if they make the playoffs.
Dennis Schroder: D-plus
Schroder was pretty much a non-factor in 18 minutes of playing time. He missed all three of his shot attempts, scoring one point on a free throw, but he helped with three rebounds and three assists while filling in for Russell in the second half.
Malik Beasley: C-plus
Beasley was aggressive on Sunday, taking 14 shot attempts in 23 minutes, but he only hit five while going 3-of-11 from beyond the arc. Other than his 13 points, his only contribution on the stat sheet was one rebound.
Davon Reed, Lonnie Walker IV, Max Christie: Incomplete
Reed, Walker and Christie each received four minutes in garbage time. Christie went scoreless, although he got two assists and one rebound. Reed scored a basket while also contributing two dimes and one board. Meanwhile, Walker went 2-of-3 from the field, which included a 3-pointer.
