HOUSTON — More than three minutes had passed as each clank off the rim or an empty possession down the floor drew increasing ire from the Toyota Center crowd.
Luka Doncic’s 36 points on 14-for-27 shooting on Monday night drew little inspiration for the fourth quarter that was. A fourth quarter that featured just 29 combined points in an eventual 100-92 victory for the Lakers over the Houston Rockets to kick off a six-game trip and extend their winning streak to six games.
Whereas the Lakers (43-25) held the Rockets (41-26) to just four points over the final 6:12 of the game – with two of the points being a layup from Kevin Durant with the game essentially decided with less than 30 seconds left – it was Deandre Ayton who emerged when the Lakers needed it the most, scoring six of his seven points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers put together a late 15-2 run to secure another critical victory.
The 7-footer, who also had 11 rebounds, converted a tip shot with 3:16 remaining in the contest, thanks to a cylinder violation from Rockets forward Tari Eason, to give the Lakers an 89-88 lead. Ayton later converted a second-chance dunk and a 5-foot hook shot to secure the win for the Lakers, ahead 98-90 with 43.4 seconds left.
It didn’t matter that the Lakers were dominated on the boards (the Rockets had 44 rebounds compared to the Lakers’ 32) or that the Lakers’ 17 assists were far fewer than the 31 they had posted in each of their last three games. When it came down to clutch time, where the Lakers entered the game with an NBA-best 18-6 record, their defense delivered. They forced six of the Rockets’ 24 turnovers in the fourth quarter compared to just one of their own – a meaningless shot-clock violation with five seconds remaining.
The Lakers moved 1½ games ahead of Houston for third in the tightly packed Western Conference standings and gave themselves a chance to gain yet another valuable tiebreaker when the teams square off again Wednesday night.
There were 13 lead changes in a game that had a playoff atmosphere, and the Lakers met the moment. They held Durant (18 points) to just two points in the second half and the Rockets’ 92 points were a season-low for a Lakers opponent.
LeBron James finished with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, along with five rebounds and five assists, finding Marcus Smart for a corner 3-pointer for a 94-90 lead with two minutes remaining. Austin Reaves had a poor shooting night, going just 5 for 18 (0 for 8 from 3-point range) but contributed 15 points.
The crowd, which rose in noise each time James and Durant went at each other, watched as the Rockets star helped turn the tide for the Lakers. In the third quarter with the Lakers trailing by six points, Durant shoved Reaves to the court in frustration.
Officials initiated a review, deeming Durant’s contact extreme enough for a Flagrant 1 foul. Reaves made a pair of penalty free throws, and on the following possession, James cut the Rockets’ lead to 72-70 with a layup.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, who had an otherwise quiet night with just six points on 3-for-6 shooting, sank a mid-range jumper with 4:17 remaining in the period to knot the score at 72. James later split a trip to the free-throw line to provide the Lakers with a 73-72 lead, their first time ahead in the third quarter after trailing 57-51 at halftime.
Jabari Smith Jr. led Houston with 22 points, and Amen Thompson had 19.
Houston was without All-Star big man Alperen Sengun, who was dealing with lower back pain. Sengun is averaging 20.2 points, second only to Durant for the Rockets.
_More to come on this story._