LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat Houston 107-97 on Saturday night, keeping the Rockets winless on the road.
Austin Reaves added 18 points off the bench and LeBron James had 16 points and seven assists.
Fred VanVleet scored 22 points and Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who dropped their third in a row overall while falling to 0-8 away from home.
Houston coach Ime Udoka was ejected with 8:35 remaining in the game after picking up his second technical. James and Cam Reddish got techs at the same time.
The Lakers dominated the paint, 54-34, and their bench outscored Houston’s reserves 33-24.
Sengun scored 12 in the third, when the Rockets outscored the Lakers 28-20 and trailed 86-72 going into the fourth.
After allowing Houston to shoot 60% from the floor in the first quarter, the Lakers took over in the second. Reaves scored 15 points and keyed a 29-4 run, with Davis adding eight points, that put the Lakers ahead 58-40. VanVleet scored six in a row to leave Houston trailing 60-44 at the break.
Rui Hachimura was available for the Lakers, but didn’t play a week after having nose surgery.
“Physically he’s fine except for his nose,” coach Darvin Ham said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Lakers: Host Phoenix on Tuesday in a quarterfinal of the In-Season Tournament.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
