Houston Rockets win against Los Angeles Lakers

Ham had little alternatives in the middle because the Lakers were without LeBron James (right foot), Anthony Davis (right foot), and Mo Bamba (left ankle). In Davis' place, he decided to start the 6-8 Rui Hachimura. Alperen Sengun of Houston won the initial tipoff, but Hachimura leapt centre and lost. From then, things didn't really get any better.

The Rockets easily reached the rim and converted eight out of their first 11 field goal attempts. Houston eventually defeated Los Angeles 78-46 in the paint. With 10:22 left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers tried to narrow the margin to four, but the Rockets went on a 9-0 run in the following 1 minute, 27 seconds to widen the gap once more. After going 6-2 in their first eight games following the All-Star break, it was the Lakers' second defeat in their last three games.