The Los Angeles Lakers returned home on Saturday night to host the Houston Rockets for their third meeting following a 2-2 road journey.

Jarred Vanderbilt made his season debut for the Lakers, and Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish all returned from their road trip absences to strengthen their lineup. Consequently, the Lakers capitalized on their depth to secure a 107-97 triumph, thereby boosting their overall record to 12-9 for the season.

Taurean Prince opened the scoring in this contest with a corner triple, but the Lakers were forced to call a timeout following Jalen Green’s strike to Anthony Davis in the face. Although he was hemorrhaging and required medical attention on the sideline, he managed to remain in the game.

Early on, however, the Lakers exhibited carelessness with the ball, whereas the Rockets scored quickly from the field to establish a 13-5 lead. However, D’Angelo Russell assisted the Lakers in responding with a three-pointer, and LeBron James made a three-pointer by going directly at Dillon Brooks.

Following an initial 0-for-6 start on the offensive end, Davis eventually rallied for three consecutive baskets to knot the game at 23. However, the Rockets performed admirably to finish the quarter and take a 30-25 lead into the second.

James got off to a good start offensively in the second period with two buckets, and Austin Reaves gave the Lakers the lead by reaching the free throw line and then finishing a dunk in transition to compensate for James’s sluggish start.

This resulted in the Rockets being forced to waste a timeout, but the Lakers continued their run with Russell spotting a cutting Max Christie for a dunk and James following suit for Davis.

From that point forward, the Rockets lost composure as Brooks and Ime Udoka both collected technical fouls and the Lakers extended their lead to double digits. Defensively, Los Angeles’s length dominated the frame, enabling them to force stops and escape in transition.

Five more points were scored by Reaves to increase the lead to 58-40 prior to Fred VanVleet’s crucial three-pointer for the Rockets. A preposterous 360-degree layup by James in the closing seconds of the half energized the crowd and gave the Lakers a 60-44 halftime advantage.

Similar to the beginning of the game, the Lakers began the third quarter sluggishly before Anthony Davis ignited them once more with a thunderous dunk. Prince subsequently reeled off five consecutive runs to reclaim the lead at 17.

Christie established the Lakers in front of the Rockets with two 3-pointers, one of which was a game-winning one, to extend the margin to 86-72 after three quarters.

Reddish had a strong start to the fourth quarter, securing an interception and then converting a three-point play to maintain a commanding lead. James then assisted Jaxson Hayes with an alley-oop, which once more energized the crowd and placed the game beyond reach for the Lakers, who would ultimately cruise to victory.

Late in the game, a number of technical fouls were called, including one that was committed by Udoka and was the cause of his ejection; it was his second such violation.