And it’s 60.
Wins, that is, thanks to a nice all-around game from a Lakers team that got things going early in the third quarter after a halftime tie.
Indeed, with 7:03 remaining in L.A.’s Friday evening contest against Houston - the Lakers’ first home game in two weeks - the Rockets had tied the score at 53, and were pushing hard not just to avoid a season sweep, but not to lose any ground in a tight race for home court advantage in the first round. Accordingly, a 12-2 Lakers run that began with a two-handed Kobe Bryant flush and concluded with a Derek Fisher three didn’t come at a good time for Houston. Spurred by that stretch, the Lakers closed out their 60th victory with six games left in the regular season.
To be fair, the game wasn’t decided in the third. In fact, Houston made a run around the quarter whistle to get the game within a point early in the fourth, but L.A.’s bench pushed the lead comfortably back, then allowed Bryant (surprise, surprise) to dagger the Rockets with back-to-back threes in a 28-second span starting with 4:23 to go in the game.
In related news, Bryant’s pretty good at basketball.
Before his long-range love, Bryant was more than happy to pass out of a series of Rockets’ double-teams, dishing a game high seven assists to his waiting teammates, and cashing in on seven of his 11 field goal attempts. Fisher too was terrific, putting up 15 points and five boards while leading the team with a +/- of 21. Honorable mention went to Luke Walton, who was solid off the pine with six boards, three dimes, a block and a bucket, and D.J. Mbenga, quite productive in his 10 minutes by scoring eight points with two swats.
The teams played to a 44-all tie in the first half as L.A. struggled to make shots (39.5 percent), though the Lakers got on the right track by making 9-of-18 third quarter shots before running away in the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost their second consecutive game to fall to 61-15, just a game ahead of the Lakers (60-16) for the league’s best record.
Your numbers:
4
Times the Lakers have beaten Houston - the West’s fourth-place team - this season.
7
Straight times L.A. has held its opponent under 100 points.
10
Scoring advantage for L.A.’s bench (21) over Houston’s (11).
36
Points by which L.A. won in Houston on Oct. 27, 1968. Why does that matter? It doesn’t. Just sayin’.
39.4
L.A.’s poor shooting percentage in Friday’s first half. They were able to earn a 44-all tie heading into the third in part by turning the Rockets over nine times.
39.5
L.A.’s shooting percentage for the game, making their 12-point win all the more impressive.
124
Times the Lakers have beaten the Rockets, to 54 losses since the franchise moved to Houston.
