NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets LIVE | NBA PRESEASON | Sept. 28, 2025 | 2K26

All right, everyone. Greetings from 2K Sports. Get ready for some NBA action. Here with Grant Hill and Richard Jefferson. This is Brian Anderson. Joining us from the sidelines, Alli Leforce. Now, the starting group for the Houston Rockets. Van Vleet runs a show with Thompson to his side. Inside, Smith and Shingun. And it’s Durant in at the three, the small forward. And for the Lakers, LeBron and Hachimura in at the forward slots. Luca and Reeves are the one and the two. And it’s Aiden in at the five. And if you look at the Western Conference, these could be the best two teams. Richard, here we go. Yeah, we have a treat tonight. Maybe a postseason preview, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Winning tonight’s game is big in the standings. Now, here’s Duch. Come to me. Four on the clock and there’s James from the arc. That shot missing and so Thompson will bring it up for the Rockets. Pass to Smith. Now here’s Durant and looks like an illegal pick was set. That gets the ref’s attention. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. Look, guys get away with this all the time, but on this occasion, he got caught to the paint. And there’s Aiden on the assist from James. Yeah, this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating, using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. Now here’s Van Vleet. Thompson outside. Van Vleet with a screen on Reeves. Pass to Durant. There’s the triple. Donic pulls down the board. He didn’t make them pay for that weak defense, but they just can’t rely on him to miss those kind of shots. Oh, what a finish. Rury showing off that athletic ability. James against Durant. First quarter of play with about a minute and a half gone by. Five on the clock. Good work defensively by James. The Lakers have gone two of three from the floor. Reeves. Thompson with the block. Decent reach and solid instincts allowing Thompson to get a hand on it. Here’s Van Vleet. That one’s wide left. Now Los Angeles with it. And keeping us updated from the sideline, Alli Leforce. Well, JJ Reick had a few moments to share with me. We talked about Kevin Durant and just how challenging a matchup he is. He told me, quote, “His length is what makes him so difficult, throwing that quick release on his jumper. All we can ask our guys to do is get a hand up on any shot they can. We’ll see how effective their defense is on Durant tonight.” Back to you. Appreciate the report, Ally. And Houston has possession. Following the score by Los Angeles. Yes, it’s good. Ready to play rough inside. Van Fleet navigates the contact. Now, if you’re just tuning in, we’ve played about 2 and 1/2 minutes here in the first. Richard, it’s hard to believe, but this is already LeBron’s eighth season with the Lakers. Yeah, surpassing his first seven seasons with the Cavs. And look, this is his longest consecutive streak with one team, and he’s got a championship to show for it. And hitting from the mid-range here and early. I mean, really gives the defense just another thing to worry about. And you don’t see many teams take these shots as often anymore. It’s nice to see them take advantage in this area. Here’s Shenun and the layup is good. He’s a new school versatile big, but Shenun wants the ball inside. That’s where he does his best damage. Now here is James Aiden. A screen on Van Vleet. And here’s Donic outside and the three-pointer goes. He’s consistent from out there, especially when you give him that kind of room. And so Emmeodoka decides to call timeout. He’ll take the opportunity to regroup. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And here’s Durant. He’ll bring it up for the Rockets. Seven-point differential. Van Vleet scanning the floor. Six on the shot clock. The kick to Durant over James. The Lakers with the rebound. See that miss? That miss right there. It’s why teams try to avoid the mid-range jumper these days. Aimura. The pass to Donic. Change against Durant. Reeves with a screen on Durant. Uses the glass to finish the layup. Not just the jump shooter. Reeves is also skilled at converting in close. Rockets trail by nine. And here is Thompson. No points yet. Pass to Smith. Van Vleet outside. Good D by Dantic. uncharacteristic, but that’s a bucket he’ll convert 90% of the time. And the basket by Achimura building a big advantage early with a terrific all-around performance. They got off to such a hot start and that can keep you energized throughout the whole game for Houston. They’ve gone two for seven. A sluggish start. Outside Durant a screen on James. Durant the pass to Van Vleet. Will it go? That shot off the mark. Great anticipation defensively. They were keyed in on him and ready to pounce. And he’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. And it’s exceptional the level of commitment that Eime Udoka has inspired from this Rockets team. Grant. Yeah. Be I mean he’s a players coach, but very demanding and he holds everyone accountable. It’s all about professionalism and purpose. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. And he knocks down the first one. Oh, the mid-range shot has always been Hatchim’s best weapon, but he’s adapted and has become more consistent beyond the arc. Man, both free throws good for Achimura and probably one of the least favorite opponents to take on around the league, the Houston Rockets. Yeah, they’re so well coached. They’re physical. They’re aggressive defensively. They’re monsters on that glass. They’ll take something out of them. And defensively, what can you really do against KD right there? The Lakers lead by 10. Reeves finds Aiden. Donic outside. Shot clock at five. And there’s James from the arc. It’s rebounded by Shangun. And sometimes on defense, you can just get lucky to the inside. Let Shangon throw it down. Hey, look, sometimes you just got to let the big man work. Shenon doing it in style. The Lakers have gotten seven of their 10 shots to fall. Here’s Aiden. Donic outside and he lays it up and in. Donic has got five now. Boy, I like their energy coming in. Terrific execution so far. Couldn’t come up with a much better start than this. They just have to keep it going. And so decides to call timeout. We might see him looking to make some tweaks to the strategy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. and so it’s Durant who brings up the ball for the Rockets. Trailing by 10. James with a steal. Here’s the break and it’s James with the jam. They’ve controlled the paint so far. That’s been the difference. It also allows them to play inside out which will make them even more difficult to defend. Here’s Durant following the score by Los Angeles. Smith passes to Thompson. And here is Shenun. Clock at six. James against Durant. Out to Thompson. Shenun. A screen on Donic. Back to Shenun. The basket’s good. Off the assist from Thompson. Shingun’s got six. Shingun’s focus and attention to detail coming into play there. That was close. Los Angeles leading by 10. Pass to James. Back to Donic. Outside. Reeves. Back to Donic. Launches it. Let’s go with a three. It’s rebounded by Houston. Shingun’s got four rebounds now. Back to Van Vleet. Pass to Durant. Hits it now. Two of six from the field inside. Durant scoring instinct take over, helping him find a path to that difficult shot. Back to Aimura. Here’s James on target from range. Seven points in the game. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys build contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Thompson outside and he’s going for the oop here. Smith outside. Thompson in the post. He’s covered by Reeves. Goes back up. Shenun no good. Los Angeles leading by 11. Aimura outside. James passes to Aimura. The shots good on the assist by James. James has got three assists now in this one. Houston has gone one of two from three-point land so far. Durant surveying the D. And he gets it to fall. Three for eight in this one. Yeah, even though he’s slender, Durant is good at keeping his balance through contact. The man is stronger than he looks. And now a timeout called by JJ Reic. A moment to rest and confer on the game plan. Oh yeah, I remember you always. Hey man, it’s going to take patience. Check out city maintenance. Take maintion. And Los Angeles will go for a different look here. Clea, he’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Vanderville comes in for Aim Mura. Lorab has checked in for James and Smart subbed in for Reeves. The Lakers lead by 11. Smart passes to Cleba. Switch. Donic against Holiday. The fader. Donic. No good. The Rockets have gone seven of 16 so far. Talking about Doran Penny Smith. He plays that three and D roll so well, RJ. Yeah, he’s one tough dude. Long, athletic, loves that corner three. He has all the tools that teams are looking for. So, it’s Los Angeles now. Donic feeling it out a bit. Lorravia outside, fires for three. The rebound by Shepard. Rockets trail by nine. There’s a minute 40 left now in the first quarter. Three-pointer. Holiday. Donic pulls down the board. Donic has got four rebounds now. Here’s Smart. Banked it in off the glass and the Lakers lead by 11. Good work inside from Smart. It’s clear how confident he is close to the rim. Pass to Capella. 107 left in the first quarter here. He can’t hit that time. The Lakers lead by 11. Smart with the ball. The three. Capella with a rebound. Houston has gone one for three from beyond the arc. And so the ball out of bounds. Smart tucks it last. He had the right idea. Just couldn’t come up with the swipe. And deflections. They’re a stat that all teams track. They show who is the most active defensively. Catching up on the changes for Houston. ShenGun checked in for Capella and Oki is subbed in for Holiday. There’s 45 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Pass to Shenun on the wing. Finny Smith. The three-pointer off the mark. Now Donic. He’s got five. We’ve got 22 seconds left in the first. Inside and finished off by Cleba. You know, the instincts of Luca Donic are second to none. Such a natural playmaker. Here’s Shepard. Still no points. Over Smart. The Rockets again can’t hit. And after just one quarter of play, a doubledigit differential on the scoreboard. It’s Los Angeles. They lead by 13. And we’ll get the second quarter underway on the other side of this break. Great to have you with us. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one, guys. The Lakers enjoying a nice lead here. You can really see the strategy coming in. get the ball into the painted area. And let me tell you, when you establish a physical edge, it gives you a mental edge, too. We’ve got Maxi Cleba, Jared Vanderbilt out there with Jake Larabia. Then it’s Austin Reeves, and it’s Smart in at the one. That’s who’s in the game for the Lakers. Here’s Shepard. Houston working the ball around. That one goes. Now he’s one for two. And not only can he burn you from deep, Shepard is also skilled inside. Just great work there. Reeves finds Smart and there’s the call on Tari E. That’s his first foul of the game. Tates checked in for the Rockets. Holiday comes in for Shepard. Here’s Vanderbilt. No made baskets yet. To the right side. Back to Smart. Just five on the clock over Holiday. And it’s Smart missing. Rockets trail by nine. Down low and stolen by Vanderbilt. And let’s send it over to Ali the Force. Well, there’s a resemblance in Alpen Shenun’s game. Coacha said he’s got a little bit of Joker in him. That’s the first thing you’ll see. Shenun acknowledged the comparison, adding, “Our passing skills and touch under the rim is similar, but Joker is like monster level. I want to get to that level.” Back to you. He is on the rise. Thank you, Ally. Now, here’s East. Elbow shot on the way. Can’t get it to go. Missed his first one. Oh, stolen by Tate. Outside Holiday pass to Finn Smith and he was fouled while in the act of shooting. So, he’ll take two free throws. And Grant, when talking about certain players, we hear expressions like he does the little things or he does the dirty work. What does all that mean exactly? You know, it’s about what doesn’t show up in the box score. Setting good screens, winning those 50/50 balls, hustling back on defense. Often it’s just as important as putting up those points. He’s off on the first. And Richard coach JJ Reick coming under criticism for how he handled substitution patterns in last year’s playoffs. Look, he did an amazing job in guiding them to the third seed. And look, they just ran out of gas against a better Minnesota team. Players wish they had shots back and so do coaches sometimes. And no luck at the stripe this time. Second one won’t fall. A streamline rebuild for the Rockets in 2021. They trade away James Harden. Four years later, the number two seed in the West, Grant. Yeah, and they haven’t short changed their future either. Sure, they’ve added key veterans, but the bulk of their roster still very young with room to grow. And Houston has possession following the score by Los Angeles. And it’s penetrating. Oki. The pass to Penny Smith. Here’s Shangun. Houston with another miss. Los Angeles leading by 11. Pass to Vanderbilt. Smart against Holiday. Now here’s Smart. The D’s right on him. Off with the layup for Houston. They’ve gone two of four here in the second quarter. Holiday taking his time here. Shenon. A screen on Vanderbilt. Shangon throw it down. Hey, kept it simple. No reason to get fancy right now. Ba. Yeah, he’s just looking to find shots and produce for his team. Now, here’s Smart. Fires the three and Smart nails the triple. Smart can be a difference maker from deep. doesn’t always shoot the best shots, but he’s got the confidence to knock them down. Here’s Een. Laid it in with a nice touch off the window. E’s got his first two points. And once more this half, they find a way to get great position inside. Closing in on four minutes played here in the second quarter. Smart outside. Holidays over to help. Pass to Reeves. Shot clock at six. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. Clea shot is off. And so it’s Holiday who brings up the ball for the Rockets. They’ve only allowed five points in the quarter. And stolen by Vanderbilt. to the middle. Here’s Smart and the rebound goes to the Rockets. Here’s Okogi. He’s scoreless. Out of bounds. It’ll go to the Lakers. Connect checked in for the Lakers. Donic comes in for Smart. And then for Houston Durant, he’s checked in for Finny Smith. Thompson comes in for Oki. And Fred Vanble is subbed in for Holiday. The Lakers lead by 10. And now a timeout called by JJ Reick. He’s going to take a moment to give him a breather and talk things over. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Koko. He’s checked in for Cleba. And the Rockets making a change here as well. Smith’s checked in. Here’s Reeves. Donic outside. Reeves with a screen on Vanley from deep. Here’s Donic. Smith with the rebound. Rockets trail by 10. And here’s Van Vleet. Pass to Durant. The kick out to Van Vleet. That three is off the mark. Los Angeles has gone one for three from downtown here in the second. All right, on the line we’ve got our insider Shams Terania. What do you have for Shams? Well, hard to find a more respected vet in this league than point guard Fred Vanble. The heady belt will now also guide the players union in his new role of president replacing CJ McCullum. As a guy who went from being undrafted to an all-star to signing a max contract, he can certainly relate to most every player in the league. He’s come a long way. Okay, Shams, thanks for that report. Three on the clock. Panle misses. Los Angeles leading by 13. Donic outside takes the three and the Lakers hit again from deep. Along with everything else, Donic is a knockdown three-point shooter. They need something good to happen here. Yeah, they’ve gone way too long without a score. Back to Durant over connect. Easy money for KD inside. He just makes it look so easy on offense. Like who takes pleasure in torturing defenses? He does. For Los Angeles, they’ve gone four of 10 from the field in the second. Donic. A screen on Thompson. Donic outside. Vanderbilt. Back to Donic. Another miss by Donic. Rockets trail by 14. Thompson passes to Shangun. Back to Thompson. Houston working the ball around. Three-pointer off the mark. And he probably thought he was going to bury that one. Outside connect. Pass to Donic from deep three-point range again. Donic missing. Would you say testing the limits of his range there? Yeah, he might have been feeling himself a little too much on that one. He can hit it, but not consistently. Now here’s Van Vleet. Inside tipped. Here’s Shenun and he banks in the layup. Shenun’s got 12. And Shenon is piling up the points looking totally confident and in control. Van Vleet against Donic. Outside connect. Lets it go from deep. That one falls. Great setup by Donic. Donic has got six assists now in the game. Rockets trail by 15. Durant. The pass to Shenun. Van Fleet outside. Just five to shoot. Well, he’s now two for seven after that bucket. Oh, those sharp handles of Van Flee getting showcased right now. Reeves with the ball, go and there’s a pick pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Donic guarded by Van Vleet and it’s Donic missing. Houston has gone 0 for two from outside in the second quarter. outside Durant. Rebounded by the Lakers. At one point they led by 16. Pass to Reeves. Here’s Donuch. Defended by Thompson. Donic passes to Reeves from 13. Count it. his third and five attempts. Nice shot by Reeves. He was just so crafty in that mid-range area on the wing. Durant. He’s covered by connect. Here’s Shenon. And Shangon throw it down. Flying in with the one hand slam. That right there was a statement finish. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for the Lakers. 13-point lead. Reeves up top defended by Thompson and the call is going to be yes an illegal screen. You can get away with one once in a while, but it looked like he wasn’t completely set on that pick. You got to blow the whistle when it’s that obvious. Great call there by the official. Here’s what Los Angeles is going with right now. DeAndre Eaton, he’s checked in for Koko. Hachimura comes in for Vanderbilt. and LeBron subbed in for connect. Now here’s Durant. He’s got nine. And so he draws the foul headed to the line to shoot a pair. It’s on LeBron James. Such a skilled, versatile talent. When Durant is focused on scoring, he’s hard to guard without fouling. Free throw is good from Durant. How prolific a score is KD. He and LeBron are the only players ever to score 40 against every team. That is both incredible and not surprising when you think about it. The ease in which KD puts up huge scoring numbers is nothing like anything we’ve seen. And both free throws good for Durant. Grant, is it fair to call Kevin Durant one of the most unique players we’ve ever seen? Without a doubt, BA. Most definitely. The blend of size and perimeter skill. Unprecedented. KD able to rise up and score over most defender. Now, here is James. He has seven, just four to shoot from deep. Reeves. It’s hauled in by Houston. 121 left in the first half of basketball. The Rockets again can’t hit. Los Angeles leading by 11. Aton a screen on Van Vleet from deep. Here’s Donic. Rockets with a rebound. Smith’s got four rebounds in the game. Outside Durant. Hey yo yo, right here. Right here. They double team Durant. off the mark. Had a chance there to trim it to single digits. And for the Lakers, they’re shooting 35% on the second so far. Pass to Aiden. Now James shoots over Durant. James can’t get it to go. 26 seconds left in the second period. Van Vleet. The pass to Smith. Durant against James. Durant no good to stop the drought. And it’s Aimura on the drive. Slams it down with two hands. Man, they’re really getting aggressive now. And here’s Thompson for three. Nails it from beyond the ark. Thompson’s gotten himself going with a triple. His first basket of the game. And so it’s Los Angeles ending the quarter up 10. getting lots of great looks, shooting it well. That’s why they’re up. And more NBA action on 2K Sports coming your way right after this. Heat. Heat. and happy you could join us. We’ve got two quarters left to go in regulation. One of the stories here, Alperon Shangon getting it done today. Pretty much the entire first half, he was dominating down low, piling up a ton of dunks. He has been aggressive getting into the painted area, seemingly at will and wreaking absolute havoc on the defense. Rockets trail by 10. Taking a look at the Rockets. Thompson is the offguard with KD at small forward inside Smith and Shingun. And it’s Van Vleet in at the point. Chalk up two there. There’s that cleverness of Durant knowing when to go with the little floater. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for Los Angeles. Steady play from Kic against contact and the defense has no one to blame but themselves. I mean they just let him get right to the rim. That’s a great possession. Put your best players in a position to succeed. And it’s the Rockets with the ball down low. Here’s Shangon. And Shangon throw it down. Solid pass there from Smith Jr. You can see his court awareness improving over time. The Lakers lead by eight. Pass to Donic and he lobbs it up and he dunks it down and just shredding apart the defense with his passing. He’s helping to pace this offense so well. He’s locked in with his teammates right now setting guys up in perfect position. And for those tuning in, we’re about a minute into this second half now. Here’s Shenun Smith outside. Houston working the ball around. Here’s Durant. Good. And Van Fleet gets the assist. Durant’s gotten four this quarter. Ah, he’s a gifted passer. You could just see how much Van Fleet values sharing the ball. This is why you want ball movement and player movement. And that’s made it hard for the defense to key in on any one individual. James, well, he hangs in there and cashes in on the second chance points. The effort, the position, the timing, all there. And add instincts to that. He can sense where the rebound’s going to go. Now, here’s Smith yet to see a basket. Outside Durant down to five on the shot clock. James with the rebound. James has got four rebounds now. Smith against Ashimura. Back to Reeds. Pass to James. Shoots over Durant. James can’t get it to go. Rockets trail by 10. The kick to Durant. Jacks up a three. Yes, sir. KD for three. Defensively, you try so hard to not allow Durant looks from three, but KD, look, he’s just able to score. And here’s Aiden. Here’s Donic. The three is up. Hits the trifecta. Donic has got 16 points. Man, this is just fun. These teams are trading threes back and forth. This is today’s NBA. Hey, we see this kind of exchange more often than not. Now here’s Van Vleet. Outside Durant. Van Vleet. The pass to Thompson. Picked by Smith. Clock at four. Shenun finds Durant over Aton. Durant with another miss. Los Angeles leading by 10. Aimura. The pass to Donic. James up top guarded by Durant. James deciding where to go with it. Physical play by LeBron inside. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron. James just bodying defenders inside. Second half here and we’re just over three and a half minutes into it. Come get it. Come get it. Durant against James. Durant drives in. Everyone in the building saw the obvious contact. And this will be his third and fourth free throws of the game here. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. First one falls for him. You love everything that KD gives you on both ends. And he’s a threelevel two-way player. He’s a quiet leader, but he leads by example. And good on the second. So, he makes them both. To have a big who’s great at the line. Such a plus. Los Angeles leading by 10. Aimura outside. Durant against James to the inside. Oh, Donic playing above the rim. And their offense tonight is Luca, Luca, and more Luca. When he’s on, it’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. Let’s go now to the sideline and catch up with Alli Leforce. Thanks. Lakers coach JJ Reic has brought an attention to detail to this team. Austin Reef said, quote, “Set that foundation of doing stuff the right way, and if we do that, we can be a really good team.” Reick said, “It’s important to always emphasize the things that you want.” that hopefully becomes part of your identity. Back to you guys. Okay, Ally, thanks for the report. And it’s slammed in by AI Muran. And the lead increases on a crazy offensive sequence. Man, the dunk alone would have been incredible. Let alone the fact that it came off a pinpoint pass. And here’s Van Vleet. He’ll bring it up for the Rockets. It’s a 14-point game. Smith outside. Back to Durant. Fires from deep. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Hayden’s got five rebounds in the game. Los Angeles leading by 14. To the paint. Here’s Aimura. Ooh, he’s been flawless tonight. Now he’s six for six. They’re really dictating the tempo on both ends of the court. You love it. And guys, to go on a big run, get some breathing space, it has to be a great play on each end. Here’s Van Vleet following the score by Los Angeles. Shot is up. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. And the shooter had very little space on that attempt. I’m sure they’ll think twice about shooting against him next time. Aimura finds Aiden. James against Durant. Now James, he’s got 11. Shoots over Durant. The shot by James. No good. Rockets trail by 16. Left side. Durant. It’s stolen by Dantic. To the inside and it’s stolen by Van Vleet. Pass to Thompson to win the drought and Reeves pulls it down for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten eight of 11 shots to go in. Efficient so far in the third. Out to James. Hachimura with a screen on Smith. It’s James with the drive. Five to shoot. Hachimura. Oh, he misses the dunk. Houston has gone one of two shooting from the perimeter since halftime. Durant inside guarded by Dantage. Yep, that one’s good. Durant’s got 11 in the second half. If you feed KD, this man is going to do this all night long. Pass to Donic. Good D by Shangun. Rockets trail by 14 and you watch Alpin Shingun. He’s a beast on the blocks, Graham. Yeah, BA. He throws his weight around, but what separates him is his skill against the best post defenders in the league. He comes up with creative ways to score. Now, here’s Hachimura. 14 points for him. Oh, he hits the mid-range, it makes him that much tougher to handle. And so, Emeodoka decides to call timeout. He’s going to take a minute to regroup with his players. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And the Lakers with some changes. Cleba, he’s checked in for Eightton. Vanderbilt comes in for Achimura and Smart subbed in for Reeves. And the Rockets making a change here as well. East’s checked in. Rockets trail by 16. Van Fleet outside. Houston working the ball around. Even the pass to Van Fleet outside. Durant. There’s the three. Knocks down the long J. Durant’s got 14 points here in the second half. No hesitation from the swing man. Durant has such confidence shooting off the catch. Tremendous. This James on the wing. Kicks it to Donic. Lets the three fly and the rebound goes to the Rockets. Now here’s Durant. 25 points in the game. Pass to James. LeBron, a smooth operator inside. All right, guys. What’s your take on the hustle stats for Los Angeles? They’ve been defending with excellent anticipation all game long. Just look at how many times they’ve managed to get their hands on the ball. Yeah. One thing I think they should continue doing is attacking the break because right now this defense has no answer for them when they do this. So it’s the Lakers now. The Rockets getting their last shot to go. What muscle from James. Look the moment he gets it anywhere near the hoop. Look, it is over. Just too much strength, too much touch either hand. Rockets trail by 15. Here’s Durant. 27 points for him. Pan Fleet outside and the three off target. Locking the arc down. Defense knows it’s on them to scare off those shots. And here’s Van Vleet. He’ll bring it up for the Rockets on the wing. Durant checked by James. And that one’s good by Durant. Durant’s got 18 points now here in the second half. Well, he’s still battling, doing everything possible to keep them in this game. We’ve got 155 left in the third. Smart passes to James. Smart. A screen on Durant. Back to Smart. Hey, get LeBron. Get LeBron. James outside. And here’s Donic outside. Rockets with a rebound. Changun’s got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. E. Good D by Vanderbilt. Los Angeles leading by 13. James outside. Donic outside. James a screen on Thompson. Donic against Thompson. Donic right side. Thompson with some nice D. Durant against James. Outside Durant three-pointer Van Vleet and that comes off the assist by Durant. Van Vleet’s got seven points in the game. And for Van Fleet, most of his shot attempts come from beyond the arc. 46 seconds left in the third. Los Angeles has gone one of two shooting from the perimeter since halftime. Thompson against Donic. Can’t hit that one. Nice D from Thompson. Rockets trail by 10. Pass to Durant. 15 seconds left in the third quarter. Oh, he gets it to fall and that makes it just a single-digit deficit. Durant’s got 31 points. Donic on the wing. Here’s the three. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers up by a healthy eight points at the end of the period. Just pounding the painted area that’s helped them build an advantage. Time for a quick break, then back to the action. And a moment now as we take a look at our State Farm assist of the game. And I’ll tell you what, this was a nobrainer tonight. Take a look at the precision on this feed. Couldn’t place it any better. You’ve got to admire the vision just as much as the accuracy. Not many players can even spot that pass. Fourth quarter action is upon us. Thanks as always for joining us. Jake Larabia is out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then there’s Marcus Smart. Then there’s Maxi Clever. And it’s Reeves in at the shooting guard position. That’s the Laker five. Pass to Een. Here’s Sheepard. I got to a foul called on the way up. So, he’ll take two from the free throw line. And what I like about this kid Shepherd is his confidence, especially when it comes to shooting the ball. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first one falls. That’s also good. So, he hits both free throws. And it’s a luxury to have a great shooter like him at the line. Very rarely see a miss. Smart looking around down low. Oh, and a beautiful feed leads to a monster jam. You got to finish strong whenever you can. Reed does not waste that opportunity. Rockets trail by eight. Fourth quarter just getting started. One minute in the books to the middle. I don’t mind it. I mean, they met him at the rim and temporarily prevented the points. Shooting two. That free throw good from Shenun. Shenun’s fun to watch on the block. Drop steps, spin moves, up and unders. This man will put on a clinic down low. And the Lakers making a change here. Vincent’s checked in. Both free throws good from Shingun. We’re just over a minute into this final quarter of play. Reeves the pass to Cleba. Now here’s Vincent. Outside Reeves inside. Six to shoot. Here’s Vanderbilt. The bank shot. No good. Rockets trail by six. Een the pass to Shenun and here’s Finny Smith and Shenun gets it to go and that’s 20 points for Opera and Shenun. Oh, sometimes you got to flex on him. That’s what Shenun just did. The Lakers shooting at about 51% for the game so far in this one. Clea with it and it’s Shangon picking him up. Benson passes to Vanderbilt offline with a three. Houston shooting about 47% a nice number. Een finds Shingun. Here’s Shepard. He’s covered by Reeves. The baseline. Jay is on the way. Rebounded by Cleba. Clea’s got four rebounds in the game. Here’s Shepard. He’s covered by Larabia Crawford off target from outside. The defense just giving him the easy look there. He’s not going to miss that. Good man. The defender really went after him. No good on that one. Some changes for Los Angeles. Connect comes in for Reeves. And Luca Donic subbed in for Vincent. And a change for the Rockets. Durant. He’s checked in for Crawford. Second free throw. No good. Rockets trail by four outside. E. Kenny Smith a screen. 43. Durant shot is off for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten just one shot to fall out of three attempts in the fourth. Back to Vanderbilt. Pass to Labraia. Six on the shot clock. Clea outside to win the cold spell. The rebound by Sheepard. Houston has gone 0 for two from outside here in the fourth quarter. A look at the clock. A little under three and a half minutes gone by in the fourth. Los Angeles leading by four. Donic on the wing. Back to Larabia. The three ball. Yet another assist that makes 15 assists. He has been one step ahead of the defense all game long. And we’ve got a timeout called by Eime Udoka rallying his guys to make sure they all know the plan. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hayes has checked in for the Lakers. Thompson, he’s checked in for the Rockets. Fred Van Vleet comes in for Shepard. And let’s swing it over to the sideline and hear from Ally. Well, over the break, I listened to Eay Udoka’s huddle. He was very upbeat and positive, saying to his guys, “Let’s go. Let’s go. I want you guys to up the pace. Look to push the ball up the floor whenever you can. They cannot stop us in transition.” Let’s see how the team responds, guys. Okay, good stuff. Thank you, Ally. Een finds Van Vleet. Here’s Shangon. Another shot. Thompson scanning the floor. 13 ft out. Tries yet again and it goes as the official calls the foul. Count it and he’ll shoot one more at the line. And the Lakers making a change here. James has checked in. One shot. Shangon no good on the free throw. Los Angeles leading by five. James with the ball. Now Thompson defending. Well, scouts were buzzing about Connect’s ability to attack the rim with a ton of ferocity. Now we see it in person. The Rockets have got two of eight shots to drop in the final quarter. And here’s Durant. The Lakers with a rebound. Vanderbilt’s got rebound number nine now. What an effort here tonight. A shot by James. No good. And here’s Thompson. He’ll bring it up for Houston. They’ve allowed just seven points here in the fourth. Durant against James. Up top, Durant. of seven attempts in this fourth quarter to fall. Lorravia outside Donic against Van Vleet and there’s James on the assist from Donic and now a 9-point Laker lead. It’s easy to see why they go to him so often because they know they can depend on him to come through for him. Houston has got nothing to fall from outside the ark here in the fourth. 0 for four and it’s good. Two points. You see there, Thompson does a good job of sneaking into the lane and finishing. It’s James on the wing. Oh, Durant with a steal in transition. Here they come. And the basket by Van Vleet. Woo! His energy is unmatched. And all of a sudden, that man was just on the other end. Wow. Here’s James. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. It goes on Kevin Durant. Now, nobody spends more time in the paint than LeBron James. He knows he’s going to get the contact and he still goes in there. Got this. You got this. That free throw good from James. And when you think of LeBron, his competitive spirit is to me the first thing that comes to mind. All this guy wants to do is win all the time. Here’s what Los Angeles is going with right now. DeAndre Eaton, he’s checked in for Vanderbilt. Aimura comes in for Larabia. And Reeves is subbed in for Connect. Smith. He’s checked in for the Rockets. Rockets trail by seven. Three-pointer. Van Vleet and Aiden pulls it down. The Lakers have got four of eight shots to drop here in this final quarter. Reeves. The pass to Aiden. Chengun with a steal. It’s a one-on-one situation. Here’s Durant. And it’s Durant gliding in for the fast break finish. The versatility of KD equally lethal in transition and the half court. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic. He wants to make sure they’re purposeful with the game plan. Heat. Heat. Hey, heat. The Lakers lead by five. James with the ball. Aimura with a screen on Durant to the paint. Thompson with a steal. And here we go again. The Rockets in transition. And there’s contact and a whistle. So he’s got two shots coming up. And I like to see this from Smith. Pushing the action, not just hanging around the perimeter. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. No good on the free throw. You got to like how energetic Jabari Smith is. A young guy who is fired up and ready to prove to the entire league just how good he can be. And the second free throw is good. Just a tough miss at the line. They’re down two baskets now. Donic passes to James. It’s hauled in by Houston. Now Durant. goes up from the top of the key and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got his seventh rebound here tonight. Here’s Reeves out to James from downtown. Pure from three-point range. James has got seven points here in the quarter. Smith outside Durant. to the middle. Stolen by Eightton with the ball guarded by Smith. James can’t get that one to fall. Rockets trail by seven. To the inside. Here’s Shangon. And Shangon throw it down. To me, the passing of Durant, that’s what separates him from other superstars. KD’s willing to move the ball. The Lakers have gone five of 11 so far in the fourth. Get there. Get there. James against Durant and James gets it to go. James has got 24 in his comfort zone finding an opening and exploding to the rim. Outside Durant a screen on James. Durant inside. James is there. Nice shot by Durant. Durant’s got 35. Donic outside off the mark there with a three. He’s trying to find his shot, but at some point you have to start making these. Here’s Durant. Banks it home. Big shot. Big time players make big time shots. Durant, he lives for these opportunities. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reick. Coach clearly has something he wants to say to his team right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And Donic has got the ball here for Los Angeles. At one point they led by 16 from downtown. Luca Lethal and their strategy is obvious. Manufacturer looks from outside the arc. With the way they’re shooting, there’s no need to look for any other shot. Just keep letting it rain. And there’s the whistle. The illegal screen is the call. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. Look, guys get away with this all the time, but on this occasion, he got caught from deep. Rebounded by Smith. Rockets trail by six now. Durant. Oh, it doesn’t go for Los Angeles. They’ve gone seven for 15 in the fourth. Donic. Look at Donic making himself at home. Oh my. Tight defense, but Donic just muscles it in. And the Rocket shooting at 45% of the game so far. fans lead against Donic. Toughs it outside. Just five to shoot. Changing. It’s money from deep. And that’s an important shot from Chingon. He takes pride in delivering in big spots. James outside. Oh, it’s off target. Rockets trail by five. Pan Vleet. The bucket is good. Man, this guy just has nerves of steel. Vanleet is an absolute assassin. Donic against Van Vleet. Aiden with a screen. Donic hooked loose. And so the ball out of bounds. Aiden touched it last. And Dimeoka has called timeout. Critical moment here. He’s not taking any chances. Got my hand like it’s cate Tonight you can’t bring me down. Got my hands up. That song can’t take me higher or higher. the highlight. We could celebrate Donic against Vanley nails it. And great to see guys who don’t back down under pressure. He knew what they needed here and was determined to deliver. Crucial possession right here. The crowd is on edge. James outside. Here’s Reeds. Lets loose for three. Shenun pulls it down. 7second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Durant. Oh, he misses the go ahead basket. And so they choose to intentionally foul. Here’s James. And now they decide to foul intentionally. Yeah, just a must foul situation to stop the clock. And he cannot get the first one to drop. Tough one to miss. And he does get the second one. And that’ll put him up two. And Dimeoka has called timeout. There is a lot on the line. And he is determined to make sure everyone’s on the same page. What’s the best strategy for him? A chance to tie it up here. And you also have to wonder if they’ll try for a three, but they’ll probably try for a two, but if something opens up outside, I doubt that they will hesitate to take it. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Van Fleet outside Smith with a screen on Donic and there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen and that is an absolute heartbreaker of a turnover in a close game like this. That might be enough to impact how it ends. And an intentional foul there stops the clock. First free throw is good and that makes it a three-point lead. And he hits both free throws here. And it’s a four-point ball game. We call that putting the game on ice. This one. Oh, yeah. That’s over. Stolen by Eton. And they stop the clock as soon as they can with the intentional foul. Good on the first and that puts him up five. So he gets them both and it’s a six-point ball game. Bari Smith. Oh, the long ball. No good. And so it’s the Lakers tonight. And I’m looking forward to this, Greg. We’re going to see the speed and the skill of NBA guards. Two of the league’s best going head-tohead. And when I think basketball, I envision guards pushing the tempo, taking threes. The modern NBA has a lot of talent. The pace has never been higher. Here’s the starting group for Houston. The perimeter pair will be Thompson next to Durant. Smith and Shangon make up the four and the five. And it’s Van Vleet in at the point guard. Now here’s Durant. Six to shoot and finished off by KD. And the handles from Durant are downright filthy using them to cut up the defense there with ease. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson against Reeves. Here’s Donic. Buries it down low. Well, that that’s one way he can finish, but far from the only way he gets it done. He’s got all kinds of tricks up his sleeve. Van Vleet picks to Shangon. Houston moving the ball around. Van Vleet outside. Pass to Shenun. Launches it. They grab their own miss. The shot no good. Now Donic. Here’s Reeves from downtown. It’s rebounded by Shenun and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Smith. the pass to Thompson to the paint and there’s KD. That’s good on the assist by Smith. Nobody better at getting inside and finding good looks. KD rarely forces anything and he usually gets the best shot available. Donic against Van Vleet. A screen on Van Vleet. And here’s Donic from the arc. It’s rebounded by Houston. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Alli Leforce on the sidelines. I did briefly speak with JJ Reic. The first thing on his mind was not letting Kevin Durant beat them. He said, quote, “Even if it means playing off other guys, we cannot let KD get comfortable. We have to be right up at his jersey the entire game. We’re going to see some aggressive D on Durant tonight by the sound of this, guys. Thank you once again, Ally. Lakers have gone two for four from the field so far today. Donips against Van Vleet. Hachimura with a screen on Durant inside and the dunk by Hatimura. That is big time by Hachimura. No mercy at all. And so Van Vleet will bring it up for the Rockets. Thompson outside. Smith for three. That one’s in. His first shot this game. And the lack of effort to fight over the screen there makes that an easy shot. Well, I’m going to credit the screen. I mean, that’s a good strong pick he lays there. Clark, when you think of three level scorers at the power forward position, Jabari Smith fits the bill. Yeah, he runs like a gazelle and seems to never tire. I mean, the energy he plays with is contagious and seems limitless. He gets himself to the rim. He’s got a sweet stroke. Well, I tell you, his future is really bright. And here’s Thompson after Luca Donic hitting the three. Shenun with a screen on Reeds. Five to shoot. Smith the best of Van Vleet. Shoots over Donic and he can’t bank that one in. The Lakers have gotten four of six field goal attempts to drop in the first quarter. Reeves the pass to Donic. That’s good. And he’s now three for four from the field. Luca uses his body to create space and then finds the inside look. Smith with a screen on Donic. Van Vleet with it and Hatchima picks him up defensively. Here’s Thompson. That one’s in. His first shot this game. Wow, what a pass there. He made that a very easy basket with that setup. Reeves outside. Back to Donic. Shoots over Van Glee. Donic no good. I think he’d love to have that one back. got the ball right where he wanted to and couldn’t convert. And there’s the call on DeAndre Eaton. That’s his first foul. And the Rockets with possession here. Durant sets a screen for Thompson. Outside KD and it goes down two points. KD’s got six. KD’s aggressive streak coming out on that play. He can mix it up with the big guys when he needs to. Pass to Hatchima. And here is LeBron. Defended by Durant. And Durant sends it back. Thompson passes to Van Fleet. Now Thompson. He’s defended by Reeds. Near the three-point line. And it’s Van Bleach misses the J after tricking the D with the nifty pass there. James dishes to Donic. Pass to Reeds and stolen by Thompson. The finish it goes. Take that wreck. The slam. Rocketing off the deck. Thompson showing that youthful exuberance. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s ready to talk things through with them. Heat. Heat. All right. Lakers trail by four. Eighton a screen on Thompson on the wing. Donic and the Lakers with another miss. And the great shooters know when they’ve got enough opening to go for the three. I didn’t think it was a bad choice on that possession. Shenun with a screen on Donic. Lets it go with the three. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles. James the pass to Reeds. Los Angeles with another miss. Just enough coverage to bother that three-point attempt. Screen by Shenun to the middle and Shenun throws it down. Talk about a high IQ baller. Durant read the pick and roll coverage perfectly there. And James will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Six-point game. But perhaps the biggest surprise of last season, the Houston Rockets. For sure. I mean, they hadn’t even made the playin tournament in 2024. Just with internal development and improvement, ended up as the two seed in the stack west. You got to give Eay Udoka and his staff tremendous credit. Here is Durant following the basket by LeBron James over Reeves and Houston again with the bucket. Sweet mid-range jumper for Kevin Durant. He’s dialed in wherever he shoots it from. Pass to Hatchima. Now LeBron sets the pick for James. Connects from three-point range. LeBron’s got five points so far. And they don’t want to get in a habit of giving him open looks from three. First quarter still, but not who you want to leave open. Now here’s Van Vleet. Still yet to score. Shot clock at six. The three and no good. Nice pee from Donic. Hatchima kicks to LeBron. Pass to Donich and then Hatimura with the jam. Yeah, hard to discourage Hachimura out of his rhythm right there. I mean, he is powerfully put together. And what do you guys think so far about the offensive approach for the Rockets? Everything working for them inside so far, guys. Tons of high quality shots that they’re knocking down inside. And something else that’s working for them is ball movement. A lot of their points so far have come as a result of smart plays. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. Vanderbilt’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Jake Laravia comes in for LeBron and Marcus Smart has subbed in for Austin Reed. Houston’s gone just one of four from three-point range here in the first. Count that bucket. It helps that Thompson can score with either hand close to the bucket. Defenders can’t force him to one side or the other. Lakers trail by three. out to the wing. Capella against Hatchima. Back to Donic. Over Thompson. And that one’s good. Donic. Donic has got nine points. Punch, counter punch. Impressive offensive production early on. Hey guys, this is going to be fun now. I mean, we’ve got ourselves a shootout on tap here. Here’s Een. Van Vleet looking around over Smart. Van Vleet can’t get it to go and not allowing the shooter even an inch of breathing room on that one. And guys, that’s exactly the kind of high impact defense they want to see out of him. Now here’s Thompson after Luca Donuch’s miss. Van Vleet outside. There’s the drive. Gets that one to drop. First one of the game after four straight misses. When Van Bleet sees an opening like that, he’s right to the rim to the left wing. Hakimera down low. Capella covering stolen by Capella. And bleed on the wing guarded by Smart. Now here’s Capella. Still without a basket. Van Vleet passes to Capella to the wing on the left. Houston moving the ball around. Van Vleet finds Thompson. Now here’s Capella. Score the basket. Nice shot after missing his first attempt. Capella is such a good roller after setting the screen. It’s hard to defend him in the screen and roll. Lakers trail by five. Out left to the wing. Here’s Hatchima. That’s in. And he’s now three for three and looking sharp. Yeah. And there it is again. on a lot of their possessions this first half. They’ve established great inside position. 54 seconds left in the first quarter of the game. And here is Van Vleet. Thompson right side to the right side. Six on the shot clock. beyond the arc and it’s radio with the rebound. LA has gotten just two of six to fall from three-point range so far in the first with a screen on East back to Labraia. No good. That would have tied it. Pass to Finny Smith. Back to Thompson. Finny Smith kicks to Vanley. launches it from deep and he was able to put it up in time but doesn’t fall. And so it’s Kevin Durant making headlines and highlights for the Rockets. He notched eight points in the quarter and has that terrific basketball instinct on display. We’ll get right back to the action when we return. Heat. Heat. and we hope you’re enjoying the game. Both teams tonight keeping things pretty even so far in the scoreboard. Let’s quickly break down the game we’ve seen so far from the Rockets, guys. Well, in that first quarter, they were intent on just pounding the ball down low. Yeah, and it’s worked. They’ve got a clear edge and points in the paint. Now, we’ll see if they go with a more balanced attack or just keep on pounding it inside. Jared Vanderbilt out there with Maxi Clea. Then it’s Austin Reed. Then it’s Marcus Smarts. And it’s Laavia in at the three. That’s the Laker five. And they’re unable to get the tying basket there. Houston leading by three. East passes to Shepard. Now here’s Shenon. Vanderbilt defending in the corner. It’s Een. Good. And it’s Shenun picking up the assist. Een’s got the opening basket here in the second quarter for Houston. Greg, you look at Alfred Shenun. He’s one of the best combinations of force and finesse in the NBA. And you wonder how he fell to the 16th pick in the 2021 draft. You saw the numbers he was putting up as a 19year-old in Turkey. Pretty clear he should have gone higher. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. And we’ve heard some coaches complaining about players getting away with traveling. Is that something, Greg, the league needs to clean up? Well, it’s inevitable that a few of those calls are going to be missed. But listen, you’d rather have that than officials whistling travels. That didn’t happen. That free throw no good. You can almost see the hunger and focus in the eyes of Alpiran Shangon. I mean, this guy completely locked in on doing as much as he can for his team when he’s out there. And the Rockets making a change here. A Kogi’s checked in. And that trip coming up empty, missing both. And so it’s Smart who brings up the ball for the Los Angeles Lakers. They trail by six. Reeves with it. Now defended by Shangu. Cleba sets the screen for Reeves. Clea with the bucket. Cleba’s got his first points of the game. And guys, they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Here’s Shepard guarded by Smart. Aki the pass to Shenu. Here’s Aki. Rebounded by Smart. Loravia with it. Smart on the wing. Reeves with the screen for Smart. Shoots the three. Comes out of the gate empty. He’s 0 for one. Rockets leading by four. Let’s go to the sideline and see what Ally Leforce has dug up for us. Ally, take it away. Thanks. The Rockets have become a fearsome defensive team and coach Eime Udoka said our young guys were tired of losing and they bought into it. A huge part is just shifting the mentality and doing our part on that end. Understanding how much that impacts winning, it is a non-negotiable for me. Back to you guys. They’ve clearly bought in. Ally, we appreciate the report. Here’s Reeves. Scoreless thus far. left side. Smart pass to Vanderbilt. Shot on the wing. It’ll go. The Rocket lead is cut down to just two points in the bucket from Reeves. Austin Reeves has handles that are kind of sneaky but very effective. He’s clever at getting shots for himself. Here’s Sheeparded by Smart. And they call an illegal screen here. and not the most common call you’ll see in the NBA, but hard to argue that pick wasn’t illegal. Yeah, you know, the officials aren’t nearly as lenient as they used to be on that call. As a matter of fact, I know I got away with a lot of those in my playing days, but that was 40 years ago. Connect. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Kaye Vincent comes in for Marcus Smart Reeves and it is flushed down with a nice jam. I love when Reeves has the ball in his hands. He’s crafty and he always seems to make things happen. The Rockets have gotten only one of their first four shots in the second quarter to drop. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. Anic. He’s checked in for Vincent. And the Rockets making a change here. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to have a discussion on the sideline. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Lakers have gone three of their first five shots to drop here in the second quarter. Hunters with a screen on Thompson. Pass to connect the pre-production. It’s rebounded by Houston. In the corner, it’s Van Vleet. Thompson outside. KD. Six to shoot. They can use a bucket. Durant going to work inside. Yeah, well done to finish that one off. The Lakers trail outside and the foul on Tory Een. That’ll be his second foul of the game. The Lakers making a switch here. Aton’s checked in. And the Rockets making a change here as well. Smith checked in for Jar Een. Reeves against Thompson. Crosses over. Reeves gets the bucket. Reeves has got the game tied up here for the Lakers. I love watching Reeves do his thing from the mid-range area. He’s got a smooth package. Van Vleet finds Shangon. Thompson outside pass to Van Vleet. That’s in coming off the assist from Thompson. Van Vleet’s got five points so far because he’s got such good touchdown there. Van Fleet never afraid to mix it up inside. Reeves the pass to Eightton. Back to Vanderbilt. And here is Donic. Reeves with the screen for Donic. Donic knocks in the three. Luca won’t take three-pointers laying down. He’s coming right back at you with the answer. Thompson outside. Pass to Durant. Down low, deflects the pass and foul on the shot. He’ll shoot two at the free throw line. And for a guy who handles the ball so much, Fred Vanvoy really Clark takes care of the ball. He rarely turns it over. Yeah, Freddy is steady, boy. I tell you, man. He is uh a guy who really squeezes that orange. You can trust him to push the pace and play slow and take care of it no matter what the circumstance is. I mean, his leadership, his clutch production, that guy is a coach’s dream. You got to admire the steadfastness of Van Vleet. I mean, he’s an anchor for his team because they know they can trust him. Looking at who’s out there now for the Lakers. Hatchimura comes in for Vanderbilt and James subbed in for Austin Reed. And so Van Vleet nails both of them. Enzo Donic will bring it up for LA trailing by two. The tray and again the Lakers from deep. Watch out now when Dantis is dialed in from deep because he’s unguardable. Van Vleet passes to Shenu. Here’s KD covered by LeBron. Van Vleet outside off target from outside. Well, he wanted to return the favor there for that last three, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Nowon pass to Donic from outside the arc fails to fall. This number six now shooting 50%. He’s taken 12 shots. It’s Durant on the wing. Smith with a screen on Donic. Two points. That one goes. KD’s got 12 points in the game. An outstanding performance from Durant so far. But you know what? That’s part for the course for him. He’s just a natural score. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take a minute here to get things straightened out. Tari Een’s checked in for Alprin Shen. James in the high post to the paint. It’s tipped. Aton and Aton throws it down. And a strong showing of physical strength there from Aiden. Defenders have their hands full when he’s around the rim. Van Vleet outside pass to Een. It’s good from long range. Een’s got six guys. Seven times the lead has changed hands here now. Yeah. And that number should easily top double figures before it’s over. And a wide open look for Hachimura. And they come right back with their own three-pointer. An impressive shot from Hachimura showing why you got to be up on him defensively. For Houston, they’ve gotten just over 50% of their shots to drop here in the second quarter. They’re five for nine outside Durant. No good. Shot missing. LeBron with some nice deep. Hatchima kicks to James. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Connect. No good. Houston’s gone three of five beyond the arc since the start of the second quarter. Pass to Eon. LeBron against KD. Here’s Smith and Gome and he draws the foul. A chance for another point at the free throw line. That one on Eightton. Yeah, scouts have said Smith needs to get stronger and maybe that’s the case, but boy, he sure muscled that one in. He’s getting his first free throw attempt of the game here. Solid work at the line a season ago. 83% on his opportunities. You know, he really did excel at the stripe. I mean, they couldn’t have asked for too much more from him when it came to knocking down free throws. Here’s Reeves. He’s got six pass to LeBron over Durant. James no good. And the fadeaway was the only option he had on that one. Defender there all over. Van Vleet outside. A three-pointer. No good. He’s letting it fly, but the results just have not been there. Here’s Donic. Luca making it look so easy inside. Boy, it’s so impressive. You see Donic at his size handle the ball the way he does. And as a defender, he can really put you on your heels. Now, here’s Durant. He’s got 12. Pass to Van Vleet. Back to Durant. They double team KD. East pass it to Van Vleet. Four on the shot clock. Pulls it up. The Rockets with another miss. You’re not going to see that very often. Plenty of space. But he just, let’s face it, he whiffs on them. The three for Dunic. Een grabs the board and it’s Thompson with the ball. He’ll bring it up for the Rockets. Pass to Durant Thompson. A screen on James. And there’s the whistle. Illegal screen. Beyond the leaning. You could see his feet weren’t set on that screen. Easy call. Yeah, I agree. You know, sometimes that can be a tough call for the refs to make, but not that time. It was easy there. Now, here’s Donic. 17 points in the game over Durant. LeBron right at the doorstep and he finds the two. You can tell LeBron values getting quality shots because he knows how much they’re worth and he’s willing to fight for them. 111 left to play here in the second quarter. Durant feeling it out a bit and Jared Vanderbilt gets the whistle that time. That is his first foul of the game. Maxi Clea, he’s checked in for Los Angeles. Here’s Thompson. Six points for him. Outside Durant. Just five to shoot. Over James. A rebound by the Lakers. On the wing, Reeves. He’s covered by Thompson. Reeves the pass to Donic. Oh, Donic launching that one. Way downtown. Donic testing the limits of his range there. 5 seconds separating the shot and game clocks. Pass to KD. Thompson sets the pick for KD over James. Good on that shot. And with that, the Los Angeles lead is cut down to just three on the basket from Durant. Easy little jumper for him right there, guys. And this will be the last possession of the quarter if they’re patient. Yeah, they’ve got to hold for the last shot here. Reeves in the corner. A three-pointer off the mark. It’s been all about Luca Donuch for the Lakers. His production has been flowing as he’s tallied 20 points and looks to be planning for more. Now, let’s check in with Ally Leforce on the sideline. What do you have for us, Alanley? Hey, thanks KD. A slow start. How do you improve defensively? Uh, we got to control the pick and roll. Um, we’re making jump shots, so you know, hopefully just keep contesting and they start missing in the second half. But, you know, uh, I think we had a good group to start the game. Back to you. All right, Ally. Thank you for that interview. And we’ll be back with more basketball in just a moment. Heat. Heat. Second half of basketball upon us. We may be in for an exciting finish based on how close of a game it’s been so far. You know, Luca Donic has been exceptional here, guys. And if he can keep shooting from deep like he did in the first half, he’s going to be more than a handful. Yeah. You know what? The defense is going to adjust. They’ll be ready for him now. So, I’m sure they talked a lot about how to slow him down. Rockets trail by three. Starting the second half. Here’s Eay Udoka’s five. Smith and Shangun make up the four and the five. In the back court, we’ll see Van Floyd and Thompson. And it’s KD in at the three spot. And let’s go to the sideline. Here’s Allen. Thanks, guys. Amen. Thompson, one of the most spectacular athletes in basketball. Coach Eme Udoka said, “He’s so fast and explosive that he has the versatility to attack any matchup. Put a big body on him, he still has his advantages. We can put him anywhere in actions and he can get downhill.” Back to you. What an athlete. Okay, Ally, we thank you for the report. Shooting two. D and no questioning the greatness of Kevin Durant. But Greg trying to get back into championship contention. Yeah. And since his two titles with the Warriors, disappointment with the Nets and Suns, can he get a shot at another ring? And so he’s able to get one of two. Such a unique player. Kevin Durant, pure shooter, incredibly skilled. All at nearly 7 ft tall. And so Van Vleet will bring it up for Houston. Durant against James. KD passes to Shenu. How about the bouncability of Shenong getting himself way up there. And with a little over a minute gone, the second half is underway. Pass to LeBron. Stolen by Durant. And here we go. Fast break. Van Ble’s got it for a tie. The basket good off the assist from Durant. Van Vleet’s got it all tied up now for Houston. Excellent vision by Durant out there. What a nice pass. James in the post. KD’s on him. Impressive fadeaway right there. James has got nine points from mid-range. LeBron really dialed in. You can’t think you’re safe giving him those shots. Off his leg and they’re saying he kicked the ball. Van Vleet outside. Five to shoot. It’s going to be a 24se second shot clock violation. They turn it over. And you can tolerate gaffs like that sometimes, but in a close game, man, I tell you what, that really hurts. The Lakers have gone two of three from the field to start the second half. Here’s James. It’s rebounded by Houston. Hey yo, KD outside KD. Van Vet passes to Shanger and he can time his passes so perfectly. Wow, what an assist. Second half of play with just under two and a half minutes gone. Reeves outside. Get here’s Donic Shenun with the rebound. Shingun’s got six rebounds here tonight. Thompson passes to Smith. Back to Thompson. James against Durant. Lock at six over LeBron. KD can’t get it to go as he often does. He gets to the rim, but that’s just stellar defense. And that one drops for him. Donic has got 22. Luca Magic has been on display tonight. He is in full control piling up the points. Rockets trail. Van Vleet outside and here’s KD for three. Drops in the tray. A great competitive game so far and from the look of it, this one could go right down to the wire. Little under two and a half minutes off the clock now here in the third. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach needs a moment to talk things over. Third quarter action. In just under three and a half minutes have gone. LeBron kicks to Hatchima. James looking it over. LeBron carving out space inside and making it look easy. LeBron overwhelms the defense inside. Outside KD Houston moving the ball around. launches a three and falls. Great assist by Van Vleet. Van Vleet’s got his fifth assist in this one. Here’s Donic. Donic with the strong move inside. And that’s the waiting room strength of Donic right there. Fully displayed. And so Van Vleet will bring it up for the Houston Rockets. Thompson outside back to Van Vleet. Outside Durant and then Durant with the dunk. Ooh, he put a little extra on that one. He does. He doesn’t usually finish soft either. Obviously, he can when necessary, but not that time. Not when he can throw it down like that. Boom. So it’s the Lakers now following the score by Houstonon. A screen on KD James. The pass to Eightton inside. It’s stolen by Hatchima. Here’s Reeds and that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. It’s going to be on Alpin Shenun. Hard focused work that time. earns Reeves the foul call. And a closer look here at the scoring breakdown for the Rockets. Well, I’ve been impressed with the ball movement all game long. They they’re really looking to just make that extra pass. They brought the hard hats and the lunch bells with them, too. Done some great work down inside. and Reeves drops them both. When you send somebody like him to the line, it’s pretty much easy money. Katy against LeBron outside Durant. Five on the clock. That one’s not going to go. Good D by LeBron. Lakers have gotten five of eight shots to fall for them in the third quarter. A nice 62% from the field. Van Vleet passes to Smith. Fires from deep. No good from Durant. And Los Angeles guy is shooting the ball really well in this game. 58%. and he gets the whistle. Two free throws coming up. And you just have to be enticed by the skill set of Aiden, a 7 foot1 behemoth who plays with a lot of physicality and skill on both ends. Lakers shooting their fourth and fifth shots at the foul line in the game. That free throw missing. Push it on the miss. Push it on. And the second free throw. Good. Yeah, that’s a big miss right there. Now only a one-point lead. Houston’s gotten the three-point bug tonight. They’ve taken 15 shots outside the arc. Six of 15. Pass to Shenun. And here is Van Vleet off target from three-point range. James. Oh, okay. I guess LeBron wanted that one to sting a little. He put a little extra on that one. Rockets trail by three. Durant gets to Shangon. Now Van Vleet outside KD pass to Shenun. Just five on the clock. run past the ark. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. Back to James. Misses the three for Houston. They’ve done a solid six of 11 when shooting in the third quarter. Here’s Durant. No good. And they can’t put an end to this drought. Dix fires James. Oh, James muscles it in. LeBron James refusing to be denied. Just musling through that foul to get the shot off. And guys, what do you think about the offensive approach we’ve seen so far for Los Angeles? The way they’ve been able to consistently get past the defense and to the cup has been most impressive. They’ve almost made it look pedestrian and they’ve also been steady from the three-point line and doing a good job creating room for their shooters and then converted. Free throw good. James and James considered a franchise talent without question. This guy is the complete packet. Here’s Durant. The shot by Thompson and no one’s around from outside. Off the mark. Here’s LeBron and he banks in the layup. James has got 18 points in the game. How about the hands on display there around the basket? I mean, he does not let those opportunities slip away. And that allows the lead to grow. And so the timeout taken here by Eay Udoko. He’s going to take a few moments here to check in with his team and regroup. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for DeAndre Eaton. Tory Een’s checked in for the Rockets. Shenun passing to Een and the foul on Marcus Smart. That is his first foul of the game. And here is Van Vleet. He’s got nine to the inside to Oh my, what a play. Aha. My goodness. Amen. Thompson making a statement at the hoop. Here are the Lakers with the ball. They’re on a 12 to4 run right now. Donic against Thompson and Thompson sends it back. And so it looks like the Lakers will retain possession here. Some changes for the Lakers. Jake Larabia comes in for James. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Luca Donuch. And a switch here also for Houston. Capella has checked in. Shot clock at six. Smart on the wing. Covered by Van Vleet. And so it’s KD with it. He brings up the ball for the Houston Rockets. He a screen on Smart. KD with it. Now guarded by Smart. And the dunk by Capella. Capella so good at finishing around the rim. Showing you right there. Great explosiveness inside. Los Angeles leading by four. Here’s Reeves. He’s got 10. Pass to Smart. Reeves outside. Vanderbilt with the screen. Clock at four from the top of the key. Reeves can’t hit. Rockets trail by four. In the corner, it’s Een. Here’s Capella. Clebo with the rebound. Got what he wanted, but then blew the lay. He tricked that one. LA has gone 0 of two from deep to start things here in the second half on the wing. Reeves. Pass to Vanderbilt. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt and he goes up strong with one hand and flushes it down. Reeves has understated size for a guard attacking that rim. Here’s KD. 23 points in the game. Now Een Vanderbilt with the steel and Morabia slams it in. I mean that’s a double whammy, guys. That’s right. A great defensive play. Then the emphatic stop. Well, turning defense to offense. We talk about it all the time. Try to hit your opponent at the other end before they can set up the defense. Here’s KD after the basket by Los Angeles. And the call on the shot that sends him to the line. Boy, I love seeing Capella be more aggressive inside. When he does this, he’s capable of drawing contact. For Houston, they have shot four of seven as a team from the line tonight. Several misses early. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. He’s off on the first. Quick Capella is a guy who’s a defensive anchor and takes quality shots and because of that, he plays his role to perfection. Houston making some changes. Dorian Finny Smith’s checked in for Durant. J Shante comes in for Thompson and Aaron Holidays subbed in for Fred Van Vleet. No good on the second free throw. Los Angeles leading by eight. Right side smart. Reeves outside and he’s good on the three ball. Reeves has got nine points now in the quarter. shooting from a rock solid base that gives Austin just the added range he was looking for. Pass to Tate to stop the run. Reeves with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone one of three from downtown since halftime. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt. Reves trying to free himself up. Vanderbilt shot is good. Vanderbilt’s got the lead. Up to 13 now for the Lakers. 59 seconds left here in the third quarter. Here’s Tate. Lays it up and banks it in. Took that orange right to the wreck and they just let him go by. And Los Angeles guys shooting about 59% from the floor offensively. They’ve been running without a hitch. Reeves finds Labraia from deep. A shot that time not on target. And I think that one could have easily have fallen for him. Holiday with it. Now guarded by Smart. Finny Smith. Passes to East. Now here’s Tate. Pass to Holiday. Shot clock at five. Capella with a screen on Smart. Holiday with the three. And it’s Labradia with the rebound. Reeves the pass to Smart and he gets the bucket and the Lakers lead by 13. When you allow good scorers to get uncontested shots at the rim, no wonder you’re losing. You know, he should be getting extra attention from the defense, not less. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers looking at a 13-point lead heading into the next quarter. And their ability to get points in the paint has made all the difference in this one. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back. And we reach the fourth quarter in a game that may be already out of hand. Lakers leading by 13. They’ve got Maxi Cleba, Jake Larabia out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Austin Reed and it’s Smart in at the one. That’s the Laker five. Here’s Reeds. Lorabia with the screen. Not three off the mark. Reeves against E. Pass to Shepard. Now Finny Smith. Bucket is good. Finny Smith’s got the first field goal of the fourth quarter here for the Rockets. Good work from Finny Smith down low putting his size and reach to good use. Smart goes in over to the left wing. Vanderville gets a wide open look. Los Angeles with another miss. Rockets trail by 11. Pass to Shenun. Shepard with the ball. The three gets the three-pointer to fall. Shepard’s got his first three points of the game. Lethal from D. Shepard will hurt you from there. Here’s Cleba and the layup is good after a nice Lee pass and the Lakers lead by 10. Strong effort that time producing the best look possible. Oh my god. Here’s Sheepard guarded by Smart. Sheepard. The pass to a Kogi. Over Reed. That misses off the back. Lakers leading by 10. And we’re around two minutes into the fourth quarter here. Vanderbilt the pass to Labraia. And here’s Smart. over Shepard. It’s rebounded by Shenun. Shenun’s got eight rebounds in this game. Shenun with the screen for Shepard. Reeves with the rebound. And Reeves has got the ball here for the Los Angeles Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead in the game. Reeves with a screen on Shenon and down it goes. dunk threw off a wonderful assist. The D just kind of stepping aside and letting him get to the rim. There’s a reason GA the lead is what it is right now. You know, you look at it, the communication is lacking, as is the trust. They can ill afford those types of breakdowns. It won’t work. You can’t win with those kind of breakdowns. And we’ve got a timeout called from Eay Udoka. It’s a chance for them to regroup and refocus. Heat. Heat. and Los Angeles with some changes. Connect. He’s checked in for Jake Larabia. Anic comes in for Austin Reed. And it’s Gabe Vincent in for Smart. And then for Houston, Kevin Durant comes in for Josh Kogi. And Aaron Holidays subbed in for Shepard. Let’s check in now with our Ally Leapors who’s got a story for us. Ally, hey guys, during that last break, I heard Eime Udoka as he talked with the team. He questioned his team’s effort asking them, “Should I put in the bench right now? Wake up guys. We can still win this game, but I need you all to play like you believe you can. Not exactly a fun huddle to listen in on, guys. Great work as always, Ally. Thank you. Lakers leading by 12. Now connect pass to Clea over in the corner. Vincent, the shot’s good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got four assists in the game. The man has no heart and that’s poor defense for a team that has a long way to catch up. They look pretty demoralized to me and that always shows through at the defensive end first. Now here’s Durant to end the drought. Vanderbilt with the rebound and stolen by East outside. KD uses the glass to finish the layup. KD’s got 25 points. No doubt about it. He has done a ton to help his team, but he’s going to have to do even more if they want to have a chance to get back in this one. Los Angeles has gone one and three from outside the arc since we’ve reached the fourth quarter. And here’s Dashic from the ark. Shenun with the rebound. Shenun’s got nine rebounds now. and finished off by KD. That’s the defense’s fault right there. You can’t allow Durant to get that kind of position. Los Angeles leading by 11. Honorage with a screen on Holiday to the middle. Rockets with the rebound. Durant got his fifth rebound in this one. fouled on the shot and picks up two points. So, one free throw coming up. One of the reasons they’re behind is because we haven’t seen enough of Zach. He needs to become a bigger part of the offense. Well, Clark, after missing most of the 23-24 season, Tari East came back strong last season. Boy, sure. He sure did. I mean, he really looked good and comfortable out there. Made quality plays at both ends of the floor. You really hate to see anybody get injured, but especially a young guy like him. But youth gives him a chance, I think, to bounce back pretty quickly for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten only three of their nine field goal attempts to go down since the end of the third. Pretty cold down the stretch. Gette with a wideopen look and the Lakers with another miss. And even without that three ball dropping for him, the defense should have done more on that last play for three. Van Gle, they get it back. Shenun with the screen for Thompson. Trying to find Shenun. He gets it to him. Count it good. Hey, he’s one of the best on the offensive glass. So, you got to get a body on Shenon. Lakers leading by six. Pass to Koko. Down low. Here’s Vanderbilt. And the dunk by Vanderbilt. And for a power forward, he can sure get up. I mean, because of that leaping ability, it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Here’s Een. Back to Durant. Oh, KD makes it look easy. Well, they left it until the fourth quarter, but finally the run they needed to get back into this one. I didn’t think it was going to happen for him quite honestly, but they finally turned it on. Turned it up a little bit. Now they’ve got to come up with some stops. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. The biggest lead of the game, 15 points. Pass to connect. Some solid defense there from KD. Rockets trail by six. Van Vleet outside for three and Durant gets it to go. The assist by Thompson. KD’s got 32 points in the game. This is what puts KD in elite company. He’s so good at catch and shoot. He set the screen. Donic against Van Vleet and it’s Connect in the corner and they wasted no time getting those three points back. Connect got himself going with the triple. His first basket of the game. Houston’s gotten off four three-pointers in the final quarter and two of them a fall. Van Glee passes to Thompson outside. Durant Shenun with the screen for Durant. And again, it’s the Rockets from deep. Right back at you. Durant motivated to put it right in his opponent’s face. No better way to do it than with a three of his own. Now here’s Donic for the three. And another three for the Lakers. Just a great hustle play there. Energy and passion. This is what you play the game for. Haiti against James. A high post shot. Shot is good in the Los Angeles leads. Cut down now to just four points with the basket from Durant. The defense has no answer for him right now. Well, they’re trying everything. Nothing’s working. He’s just piling up point after point. Pass to Donich. Now here’s Vanderbilt and out of bounds as the Rockets gain possession. Smith checked in for the Rockets. Rockets trail by four now. Here’s Durant. Van Vleet outside. That’s good. And it’s KD with the assist. Few players shoot it with as much arc as Van Vleet does. That thing brings rain when he shoots it. Donic against Van Vleet. The three ball and that’s good. Luca Donic for three. Donic has got a couple of three-pointers now in the fourth for Los Angeles. Thompson outside. The three from KD. Burries the long range jumper. Durant’s got 40 points. No stage too big for KD. If you need a basket, easier make pass to Donic. James outside. Donic outside and down goes the three. And he just seems to always deliver in the clutch and he’s got it going right now. That’s who they want taking the big shot. Luca Donic is a superstar in this league and he continues to build on what is going to be some kind of resume when it’s all said and done. Has every tool that you need to have to be an MVP one day. Now here’s Shenu. Fred Van Bleet. Down he goes for three. And Van Bleet, no fear at all. I mean, he loves taking and making those big time shots. Cleanse it in off the window. The magnitude of the moment not lost on LeBron James. He knows they needed a bucket there and he’s going to get it for him. Rockets trail by four. And here is Van Vleet. Thompson outside now. Durant. Durant drawing the double team. Thompson outside. Down to five on the shot clock. This is Van Bleach. Knocks down the three. Getting his team the best shot on the floor. Amen. Thompson feeds a ready shooter that time. Anzo James will bring it up for Los Angeles. The biggest lead of the game, 15 points. Shoot from 12. Shingun with the rebound. The Rocket shooting one of the high points for them in this game at 54%. Durant and trying for the go ahead basket. Doesn’t go in. The Lakers shooting well here in the fourth period. 50%. And here we go. Fast break. Van Bleach got it. And the rejection by Eaton and using that wide reach to reject shots. Aiden can’t afford to throw up weak stuff around the big James off the glass. LeBron James is clutched. Not the first time he’s done that, nor will it be the last. Van Fleet now Shenun to tie it up. He drills the three. Oh, you just love seeing a player with absolutely no fear. Cool, calm, collected, and confident in the biggest moment of the game. Yes. Now, here’s LeBron. And LeBron nails the three. Boy, they’re having major trouble dealing with LeBron. And we’ve got a timeout called from Eay Udoka. Pivotal moment in this game. And he’s not taking any chances. He’ll call time. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Durant. It falls. And just look at what Durant is doing. My goodness. He knocks down the clutch free throw. Getting it done at the line as he usually does. And that could be huge in a tight game like this one. And JJ Reick is called timeout. This is a huge moment, folks, in this game. And he wants to be prepared. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. It’s James. That one goes for all his strength and power. James can also be extremely graceful throwing off the defender with a really nice move there. Free throw good. LeBron shot clocking and game clock separated by less than six seconds and timeout is called by Eime Udoka. No doubt he is feeling the importance of this moment right now. What you going to do about about you. Just you Van Vleet against Donic. Van Vleet left side. Five to shoot. Smith the a lot of the talk coming in focused on the back courts. Richard, both teams have outstanding guard play. Yeah, and that means we should see some creative offense. expect good ball movement, but either team when they have a chance to push it, they will. So, the Houston starting five. Van Vleet runs a show with Thompson to his side. Katie and Smith, the lengthy duo at forward. And it’s Shangon in at the five, roaming the paint. Now here’s Thompson. Pass to Shenun and stolen by Reeds. Down low, James finds Aimura. Oo, excellent D there from Smith. Outside Durant. And here’s Shenun. Three-pointer Van Vleet. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Hachimura. The pass to Donic. Now Aiden. Now here’s Hachimura. Guarded by Van Vleet. And there’s James from the arc. Nails it from three. I like this wrinkle. put LeBron off the ball and then make a play for him. A little over a minute gone here in the first quarter. Van Fleet. The pass to Shenun. Now here’s Thompson for three. Durant. Nice start for him. Sinking his first shot. And that’s how you up the ante. Come right back at him. Yeah, I love the competitive fire right there. You drain a triple on us and I’m coming for my revenge. Chengun with a steal. James against Durant. Three-pointer. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles outside. Reeves to the middle and it’s Aachi Mura missing. That’s their plan to get him an opportunity to finish in tight. That’s a miss they can live with. Van Vleet. The pass to Thompson. Back to Van Vleet. Shot clock at six. A chance there to take the lead, but a miss. Inside. Here’s Aiden. Oh, Durant with some nice D. The Rockets have gone one of four to begin this one. It’s Shenun high post. Ben Fleet outside three-pointer and Aiden pulls it down and the defense dodge run right there. Not the guy you want to leave open outside. Reeves beyond the arc. Donic feeling it out a bit. Aiden, a screen on Van Vleet to the paint. And there’s Aiden on the assist by Donic. Clearly paying attention out there. Aiden rolls off smoothly into a nice scoring position. Durant with it. And the Rockets have had success adding veteran leadership to their young roster. RJ, and that’s a great lesson in roster building. It’s always beneficial to have adults in the room, experienced guys who can set positive examples for younger players. Now, here’s Van Vleet. Hasn’t gotten one to fall yet. From outside the ark, it’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Donic has got four rebounds in the game. Reeves. The pass to James. Donic outside. Oh, throw it down. Wow. And a strong finish with two hands. This is classic LeBron leaping off the floor for a powerful dunk. And here’s Durant. They’ve been having major problems offensively. Definitely in a bit of a dry spell. And so Emmeodoka decides to call timeout. coach taking this moment to speak to his guys, maybe alter some of the game plan. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Here’s Van Vleet. Still without a bucket. Houston working the ball around. Fires in the triple. This is Van Vleet’s calling card. He’s actively looking to fire from deep. Aimura outside. Tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. And Van Vleet has got the ball here for the Rockets. They trail by one. How about the bounce? We can call that bounce per ounce. Can’t be denied. Los Angeles has gone one for three from beyond the arc. Aimura outside. Here’s James. Lays it up and banks it in. James has got seven points in the paint. LeBron James is capable of running right over the defender. That is athletic. Here’s Durant. Five points in the game. Time now to hear from our reporter Ally Leforce. Well, JJ Reick had a few moments to share with me. I wanted to know what he had in store for Kevin Durant. He said, “We have some plans,” coach said with a smile, but mostly it’s about effort. We have to outwork him at all times. If we give him an inch, he’s going to take a mile. So, coach is asking for his guys to go all out and try to slow KD down tonight. Brian, back over to you. Thanks for that, Ally. Here’s Van Vleet following the score by the Lakers. Four on the clock from behind the ark. Durant. No good for Los Angeles. They’ve gone four of nine in this one so far. Reeves. The pass to Aimura. Aton. A screen on Durant to the inside. And there’s Aiden on the assist by James. And LeBron James will outsmart you. He will open up things for other teammates with the pick and roll. Here’s Van Vleet. Thompson outside outside Durant. It goes. He’s made three shots in six attempts. That’s a move you won’t see many guys make. Impressive stuff. for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten 50% of their shots to fall so far. They’re five of 10. Durant against James from Deep Reeves. They get it again. And Donic with the jam. How about the hustle from Donic, a winning player. Rockets trail by three. Now here’s Durant. He’s got seven. Shenun passes to Van Vleet. Here’s Durant. Clock at six with a nine-footer and the Rockets tack on two more. So polished from the interior. Durant is terrific at utilizing his physical advantages down on the block. Aimura finds James. Aiden, a screen on Durant. James passes to Aiden. Good setup. Let him to the rack perfectly for the layup. Aiden’s got six. When they get their opportunity to punch it inside, they don’t hesitate. Aiden’s gotten three of his four shots to fall, hitting 75%. And so Emmeodoka decides to call timeout. He might have seen something he needs to review with his guys. Heat. Heat. Vanderbut. checked in for the Lakers. Smart comes in for Reeves. And the Rockets making a change here as well. E’s checked in. Here’s Van Vleet. Left side. Decent Thompson outside. Durant for three. Yes. And a nice assist from Thompson. Durant’s got 12. Capable of scoring from any area. Love when Durant takes charge and dominates like this. James against Durant. Ooh, stolen by Smith. Pass to E. Houston working the ball around. Durant the pass to Van Vleet. The kick to Durant. Five on the clock and that misses. That would have put him up. The Lakers have gotten seven of 13 shots to drop. It’s Smart on the wing and it’s going to be a 3second call. Some changes now for the Lakers. Clea, he’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Lorabius subbed in for LeBron. Clint Capella, he’s checked in for Houston. Finny Smith comes in for Durant. The Rockets have got six of 14 in so far to the paint. And there’s Thompson on the assist by Van Vleet. You see there, Thompson does a good job of sneaking into the lane and finishing. Loravia outside. Vanderbilt finds Donic. No good on the three. Yeah, you know, he usually makes you pay from that range. Well, one of the many things that’s impressive about Luca Donuch, he double clutches so well, right? And even absorbs contact in the air and somehow someway still has a very high field goal percentage. Luca, his game defies logic. Maybe Luca’s logic. E good nice find by Thompson now. Good to see him sharing the ball like this. Lakers trail by five now. Smart. No points so far. Pass to Cleba to stop the run. Capella with a rebound. You love to see the competitive fire, but he couldn’t sink that revenge triple. And here’s Thompson for three. Vanderville pulls it in. Los Angeles has gone just one of six from downtown. Arabia passes to Dantic. Pass to Smart. Fires the three. That one falls. Great setup by Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. Just such a quick release there by Marcus Smart. You love to see that just catch, touch, and release. Now here’s Donic. Smart outside. Six on the shot clock. Out to Clea. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. Donic. No good. That would have tied it. Not that time. But that’s a shot that he’s going to make more often times than not. Pass to Van Vleet. From deep. counted from distance. Van Vleet’s got six. I mean, a smart shooter. I like watching Van Vleet measure the defense and stick them with the Jay. Smart outside takes a three and Los Angeles three. That’s how you up the ante. Come right back at him. Yeah, I love the competitive fire right there. You drain a triple on us and I’m coming for my revenge. Now, here’s Vanle. He has six. Donic passes to Smart. 41 seconds left in the first quarter here. That misses. Had a chance to tie it. Houston in the lead over to the left wing. Here’s E. It’s E with the jam. A savage reverse jam. That takes great body control. No question. He was making a statement right there, man. And he got the whistle on the way up. So he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. It’s going to be on a men Thompson. Yeah. And you never want to let shots at the rim go uncontested. Los Angeles shooting their first free throws of the game. Shooting two. That’s good from Donic. Both shots good from the strike. Kevin Durant has been leading the charge for the Rockets. He made a big impact, scoring 12 points in the quarter. Back after this. And this has been a fairly close game through the first quarter. We’ll see what happens here in the second. And guys, let’s get your take on the scoring breakdown for the Rockets. Well, so far their long range shooting has been the story, doing damage from deep. And the other thing you notice is how determined they’ve been to get into the paint and get buckets around the rim. We’ve got Jared Vanderbilt, Marcus Smart out there with Austin Reeves. Then there’s Maxi Cleba and it’s Larabia in at the three slot. That’s the group for the Lakers to kick off the second quarter. Smart passes to Cleba. That ties the game. You can’t leave someone open when Smart is running his team because he will find that mistake and Houston has possession. Here’s Shepard. Here’s Finny Smith. Vanderbilt pulls it in. And so it’s Smart who brings up the ball for the Los Angeles Lakers. Let’s check in with our reporter Ally Leforce. Thanks a lot. The Lakers are trying to maximize what LeBron James has left in the tank. Coach JJ Reick said, “When you get to coach one of the greatest players ever, you take a lot of joy and pride and excitement in that and it’s my job to help him in these last few innings of his career.” Back over to UVA. A rare opportunity. Ally, thanks very much for the report. And here’s Shepard for three. Vanderbilt pulls it in. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now. Aria passes to Clea. Nice ball movement by Los Angeles. Pass to Reeves. Just four to shoot. Offensive rebound. He is tenacious. Love to watch him battle on the defensive glass. Here’s Shepard. defended by Smart. The Rockets with another miss. The Lakers have gone just one of three to begin the second quarter. Reeves the pass to Smart. Here’s Vanderbilt and the baseline jumper goes down. And the Lakers lead by two. That’s why you keep your head up. If the assist is there, you can pounce. Fires from 14. Houston with another miss. for Los Angeles. They’ve gone two of four here in the second quarter. Second quarter play. Almost three minutes gone here. Cleba with a screen out left to the wing over Shingun. Clea shot is off and the shooter had very little space on that attempt. I’m sure they’ll think twice about shooting against him next time. Pass to Shenon and Grant. In recent years, we’ve seen the pace of the NBA game increasing. Yeah, it stagnated in the ‘9s, but it is back. We’re still not at the frenetic pace of the 1960s when we see over 120 possessions a game, but the efficiency is at an all-time high. Now, here’s Smart. Six points for him. outside Reeves. The three is up. The rebound by Sheepard. And I’m surprised that didn’t go down. I mean, I’m sure he is too. Pass to Finny. Smith. And here’s Shenun. He’s covered by Reeves. Here’s a Kogi. Drains the triple. You can run some offense through Shenon because he has a high basketball IQ. Smart finds Reeves inside. Here’s Cleba and finished off by Cleba. These teams just feeling each other out. Yeah, I love the spirit out there. Already six lead exchanges. Houston has gone one for three from downtown here in the second. Pass to a Kogi. And here’s Een. Here’s Shepard. No points yet. Now Shenun, he’s checked by Cleba. Shen, no good. Great defensive effort to lock down the paint. Yeah, he’s got great position and it makes it a really tough shot even from such close range. Now here’s Smart. They lead by one down low and Vanderbilt slams it in. While he’s a bit undersized for a four, he more than makes up for it with his balance. Houston has got six out of 15 threes so far in this game. Here’s Shepard. Pass to Oki. This one for three. The Lakers with a rebound. Vanderbilt’s got five rebounds tonight. Now here’s Smart. Tight defense on him. The Rabia with a screen. Puts up a three. The Rockets pull it in. Here’s Shepard. Pass to Ai Jang. A screen on Reeves to the middle and out of bounds. Los Angeles will have it. And amongst those in attendance, future Hall of Famer and our good buddy Candace Parker. They’re always great to have basketball royalty in the house. Parker played over a decade here in LA with the Sparks, taking home a title and MVP honors. And so now a timeout called by JJ Reic. He’s going to talk it over with his guys. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. And it’s a completely new group for the Lakers. And a new group getting ready for the Rockets. Smith, he’s checked in for Finny Smith. Kevin Durant comes in for Een. Amen. Thompson’s checked in for Okogi. And Fred Van Bleed is subbed in for Shepard. The Lakers lead by three. James with the ball. Seven points in the game. No good. Off the glass. And here’s Van Vleet. Pass to Shenun. Out to Thompson to stop the drought and can’t get it. He’s now one of three. Los Angeles has gone 0 for two from outside in the second quarter. James can’t get it to go. Fantastic defense giving full effort. Durant pass to Venley. Up and over. Donic. No good. In and out off the rim. And for the Lakers, they’re shooting about 43% on this one. And the basket is good. Honimura’s got his first basket. Well, Honor’s inside out scoring ability is what makes him so valuable to their offense. And here are the Rockets now. It’s a five-point game. They’re searching for a way to score. Yeah, buckets have been very tough to come by. And the officials will call the illegal screen here. You’re not going to fool the officials too often on an illegal screen. That’s a very avoidable turnover. You got to focus on the details. The Lakers lead by five. Donic passes to Aimura. Now here is James. Shoots over Thompson. James can’t get it to go. Durant looking around. Durant draws the double for three. Rebound by the Lakers and he almost made them regret defending him so loosely. James passes to Donic. Luca with the bully ball inside. Oh my. Tight defense but Donic just muscles it in. And one guy you can neither speed up nor slow down. That’s Luca Donic. Yeah, BA. He completely dictates the pace from the opening tip till the final buzzer. He can control the game. He’s someone opposing defenses have a hard time game planning for for Los Angeles. They’ve gone six of 14 in the second quarter. Oh, Donic playing above the rim. A guard that can truly do it all. Donic has tremendous power. Rockets trail by seven. Van Vleet outside. Back to Durant inside. Stolen by Aton. Connect up top. Defended by Thompson. Aiden passes to Donic. Here’s James. No good that time. Ooh, excellent D there from Smith. Pass to Van Vleet. Outside Durant. Back to Van Vleet from the arc and Aiden pulls it down. Payton’s got four rebounds in the game and so Odoka decides to call timeout. He’s going to gather the troops and talk it over. Protecting the rim has to be their top objective right now. I’m sure coach is going to give them an earful about that. He can’t be happy with that soft interior deep. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And Los Angeles making a change here. Reeves has checked in. Een’s checked in for Houston. Durant. Rockets trail by seven. Pass to Van Vleet. Back to Durant. And it’s Kevin Durant with the foul. That’s his first foul of the game. and just a great job of getting there first and absorbing the contact. The Lakers have gotten seven of 16 shots to go in the second. Here’s Reeves. Now James, the Lakers with another miss. I think he’s gone completely dry. Nothing is hitting. Yeah. And the risk now is that he gets inside his own head. Time to take deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth, and let the game come to you. The officials were right on top of that one. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. And we’ve also got to talk about those threes dropping for them. We’ll see if they can keep up the momentum from long range. That one’s off. And when you talk about guys who are built for the modern game, add Smith’s name to that list. He hits the second from the line. Look, Jabari Smith has the physical tools and skill set. That’s a tough combination to be a solid two-way player in this league. Donic on the wing guarded by Van Vleet. Donic with the bucket. Donic has got 10. And so Durant will bring it up for Houston trailing by eight. Smith with a screen on James and placed off. The whistle there on what looks like an illegal screen. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. Look, guys get away with this all the time, but on this occasion, he got caught. And here’s Donic outside. Hey, now five for eight. Shooting a pretty good percentage right now. And when he puts it all together, look at the kind of night Luca can have. Wow. Ben Fleet outside pass to Durant from deep three-point land. Aimura with a rebound. Los Angeles leading by 11. Outside Reeves. James. A screen on Durant. Reeves. The pass to James. Shot clock at six. And here’s Donic. The three. It’s held in by Houston. Smith’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Outside Durant. Outside E. Pass to Smith for three. Durant. KD. What else would you expect? So fluid pulling up to shoot. Durant’s range is one of the biggest strengths of his game. James outside trying to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. 8sec difference between the shot clock and game clock. And here’s Thompson for three. And the Rockets hit again from deep. And this is big for Thompson’s confidence. He needs to keep hitting from downtown. James against Durant. James deciding where to go with it from deep. Here’s Donic. It doesn’t go for him. And the first half comes to an end. We’ve got a close game going here. It’s Los Angeles. They’re up by five. And join us right back here after the break for the start of the second half. And if you’re just joining us, we played through the first half in a game that’s been fairly even so far. One of the stories here, Kevin Durant, he’s getting it done today. Through the first two quarters, he’s been on fire. explosive offensive performance. If they don’t change their approach in the second half, let’s just say his success will continue. Rockets trail by five. Kick it off the second half. Here’s Eimeodoka’s five. Katie and Smith, the lengthy duo at forward. Van Gleet runs a show with Thompson to his side and it’s Shenon in at the center position. James against Durant over James and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got rebound number five here tonight looking to end this cold spell. James can’t get it to go. And for the Rockets, they’re shooting only 36% so far in this game. Here’s Thompson. Gets it to go from 8 ft. Thompson’s got nine. Los Angeles leading by three outside Reeves. Right here. Right here. Back to Donic. Gets hauled in by Houston. Shangun’s got nine rebounds now. Van Fleet. The pass to Shangun. Durant against Aiden. Durant draws the double. A strong finish from KD inside. Yeah, even though he’s slender, Durant is good at keeping his balance through contact. The man is stronger than he looks. Reeves with a screen on Van Vleet. And here’s Donic outside. He buries it from three. He’s got 16. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys feel contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Easy money for KD inside. What I want to know is where is the rim protection? That was just too easy. Two minutes gone in this third quarter. Now a moment to hear from Alli Leforce. Thank you, Brian. Kevin Durant talked about the key to his longevity and he said just being enthusiastic about the game every day and wanting to get better that forces you to get in the gym. What you do the most is what you’re going to be best at and if you don’t use it you’ll lose it. That’s how I look at it. Brian, back to you. The love for the game. Ally, appreciate the report. So the tie two more not get enough credit for what he’s meant to the NBA. Yeah, you might be right, BA. Really in any sport. And the Lakers with possession here after Houston’s three-pointer on the other. Just over three and a half minutes through the third. Thompson outside. And here’s Van Vleet from the arc. Donic pulls down the board. Donic has got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one. Oh, stolen by Smith. And they’re on the break. Here’s Van Vleet and another basket for Houston. Set him up properly. Van Fleet will knock that down. Los Angeles has gone two for two from deep here in the third. Aimura finds Donic. Greavves with a screen on Van Vleet. A good look from Donic. Thompson pulls it in. Now I understand that that shot didn’t go down but they will take that look every trip down the floor. Van Fleet the pass to Durant Shenun a screen on James to the paint and Shenon throw it down. Set him up and Shingun executed the pick and roll to perfection. Lakers trail by four. And so now a timeout called by JJ Reic. I think right now he might be looking at some adjustments. One of the stories here, Kevin Durant, he’s getting it done today. Well, he’s been destroying them inside and maybe a timeout to figure out an answer or a prayer if there is one. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Thompson against Reeves. Pass to James. Now here’s Donic. Luca lethal. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now. And Van Vleet has got the ball here for the Rockets. They lead by one. Durant way outside and he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline finds Reeves. Here’s Donic. Launches a three. Rockets with a rebound. Smith’s got seven rebounds in the game. Outside Durant. Shangun a screen on Aimura. Durant no good for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten just three of eight shots to go in the third quarter. A three. James Rockets with a rebound. Puts up a three. Durant with another miss. Los Angeles has gone three of five from downtown here in the second half. Chingon with a steal. to the inside. Stolen by Aton Reeves against Thompson. Reeves the pass to James. Donic on the wing. Six to shoot for the lead in the paint. Luca. Oh, Luca is so skilled at using his body to create good looks inside. Outside Durant. They get back on track and Reeves pulls it down. The Lakers have gotten only four of 10 shots to fall so far in the third. As you know, acquiring a big man was a priority for the Lakers in the offseason ground. And that became a glaring need as we saw in their first round exit against Minnesota, but enter DeAndre Aton. A definite upgrade, BA. And we know Luca is at his best alongside a rim running center. And so now a timeout called by JJ Reic. Coach probably just checking to make sure everybody’s on the same page here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And some changes here for the Lakers. Cleba, he’s checked in for Eightton. Vanderbilt comes in for Aim Mura. And it’s Marcus Smart in for Reeves. The Lakers trail. Smart looking around. Here’s Donic. Count the basket and the foul. It’s going to be on a Thompson and going right through the contact. Luca has tremendous strength, especially for a guy who handles the ball so much. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for Los Angeles. Wow, they’re moving the ball around so well, guys. Quick passes, letting the next guy do the work if you don’t have a look. Yeah, another thing. This offense came in aggressive, driving into the lane, forcing the defense to try to adjust. So far, the defense hasn’t had enough of an answer. The free throw off from Donic. And Don is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. Here’s Shenun and a great assist by Van Vleet as that one goes. Van Vleet’s got three assists in the game. James outside. Nice ball movement by Los Angeles. Shot is good by Cleba and it’s amazing. Neither team has been able to hold the lead for any length of time. Yeah, these guys are leaving it all on the floor tonight. Now here’s Van Vleet. 11 points in the game. Shenun the screen. There’s the three. Out of bounds. It’ll be Lakers ball. Some changes for Los Angeles. Laabia comes in for LeBron. And Austin Reeves is subbed in for Luca Donuch. And then for Houston, Capella, he’s checked in for Alper and Shenun. And Een subbed in for Smith. Now here’s Smart. Six points for him. Here’s Vanderbilt. And Vanderbilt slams it in. I just love the aggressive finish. Now I’m thinking he’s sending a strong message with that jam. Rockets trail by three. Thompson outside. Back to Van Vleet. Just five on the clock. And Reeves pulls it down. Los Angeles leading by three. Smart up top out to Clea. Lets it fly. Can’t get the bucket from 20 ft out. And that’s a low percentage shot. And I’m sure he knows it. And those are the type of shots that just drive coaches crazy. Look, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him sitting on the bench if he tries that bad boy again. Now here’s Van Vleet. Thompson with a screen. The three is up. They get the rebound on the wing. Durant. He’s covered by Laravia. Outside Durant. Second chance effort. Rebound by the Lakers. They’ve led by as many as 11. Here’s Smart. Oh, a clear foul there on the missed shot. So, he’ll get a pair at the line. That one on Capella. every coach’s dream. Smart. He’s a high motor player. That’s a high IQ player. That combination just can’t beat. The first free throw is good. Well, Grant, the Lakers captured the three seed last season, but only the eighth best point differential in the West. What does that tell you? It tells me that they overachieved in the regular season, but a team this star studded has postseason aspirations as well. That’s where they’ll look to improve. Catching up on the changes for Houston. Finny Smith checked in for Kevin Durant. Crawford comes in for Amen Thompson. And Holiday subbed in for Fred Vanley. Yeah, Marcus Mart is the pulse of the team. He plays with passion and does whatever his team needs from him. Now here’s Holiday. Here’s Crawford. That one falls. Nice feed that time from Holiday. Slow reaction from the D and it cost him three. And Reeves has got the ball here for the Los Angeles Lakers. Two-point game. Pass to Cleba. Capella with a rebound. Capella’s got six rebounds in the game. Outside Holiday now Capella and here’s Fenny Smith. Houston needs to get off a shot. Three-pointer. Holiday. And it’s Larabia with a rebound. Loravia has got four rebounds now. Spins. Got a piece of it. Pass to Vanderbilt. Smart outside. Clea with a screen. And here’s Reeves outside. Een pulls it in. Houston shooting well here in the third, hitting 50% of their shots. 52 seconds left in the third. Down low. And a slam dunk by Capella. When they time that play right, Capella is a good man to have on the end of it. He’s a strong finisher when he rolls off the screen. And you’d like to go two for one here, Grant. And at the same time, you want to get a good shot here, BA. Outside Reeves, outside Vanderbilt. Down to five on the shot clock from deep. Reeves. And the rebound goes to the Rockets as to Crawford. Arabia outside now. Reeves puts up a deep three. He got it up in time, but it would not fall for him. Oh, what a performance by Luca Donic. He has been the story for the Lakers. Continued to rack up points in that quarter. His total for the night to 23. We’ll be back in a moment. And a worthy candidate tonight as we take a look at our State Farm assist of the game. This is the definition of team chemistry. I love to see this kind of communication and connection between teammates leading to the perfect pass. Serving it up on a platter. That is a beautiful dish and two teammates on the same page. Well, this has been a great contest so far. I imagine the fourth quarter could have more action in store for us. Gabe Benson out there with Austin Reeds. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Dalton Connect. And it’s Koko in at the five. That’s the Laker five. And a breakdown here, guys. The hustle stats for the Rockets. They’ve been defending with excellent anticipation all game long. Just look at how many times they’ve managed to get their hands on the ball. Yeah, another thing they did well, running the floor. They’ve kept the pace high and pulled away with their transition offense. Back comes Houston in transition and he converts the layup and now it’s a four-point Houston lead. Great teamwork on that drive punctuated by a strong finish. Yeah, that’s nice execution. Running with purpose and creating an easy scoring opportunity off the break. Benson up top. He’s covered by Holiday. Shot is good by Reeves. I love how assertive Reeves is. He is not bashful about trying his luck inside. A few possessions into the fourth. Just over a minute played. Outside Tai Holiday. Federer on the way. Kate shot on his own. How about the unselfishness of this team? Yeah, the willingness to make the next pass has this defense scrambling. Now here’s Reeds. Here’s Vincent. Clock at six. Back to Reeves. Fires from deep. Holiday grabs the miss for Houston. They’ve gone two of three to open the fourth quarter. Soft touch off the glass. Holidays got his first points of the game. It’s winning time and that’s a winning play. Pass to Koko. Back to Reeves. Shoots over Tate. The shot by Reeves. No good. The Rockets lead by four. Holiday with the ball. Vincent picks him up. Here’s Tate. Oh, and makes it with the kiss. Tate’s got six points in the quarter. They allowed him to establish deep position. You just can’t do that. And they need better team defense. How about your man in the post? It takes multiple guys to stop him. Now here’s Reeds. Outside connect pass to Vincent. They set the pick over Holiday and the rebound goes to the Rockets. Now here’s East outside finish. Back to Tate. Shangoo. A screen on Reeves. And here’s Tate outside. That shot is off. Lakers trail by six. Trying to find a spark here. Yes, indeed. A rough stretch offensively. They could really use a basket from deep. Reeves. He drops it from range. You’ve got to respect the three-point shooting of Reeves. You can be dangerous from there. And Emeoka has called timeout. No doubt. He’s going to utilize the opportunity to make sure they’re all on the same page here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hayes has checked in for Los Angeles. Donic comes in for Reeves. And then for Houston, Kevin Durant, he’s checked in for Finny Smith. Amen Thompson comes in for Tate and Van Vleet is subbed in for Holiday. And from the sideline, let’s catch up with Alli. Hey guys, during that last break, I heard Eime Udoka as he talked to the team. With the game so close, he wanted his team to stay aggressive, saying, “Don’t be a watcher, be an actor. Go out and make something happen on the court. Don’t let it come to you.” As always, Ally, we thank you. Now here’s Thompson out to the right wing outside. Een pass to Durant. And here’s Van Vleet from the arc. The Rockets again can’t hit. This is the definition of force here. He’s trying to get himself going, but taking tough shots just won’t do it. Donic outside. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Defended by Een. Here’s Vincent. Oh, that doesn’t go on the chance to tie. Here’s Durant and he drops in the layup off the glass. Durant’s got 23 points. That’s just smart basketball right there finding a way to get a high percentage shot on offense. So, it’s Los Angeles now. Pass to Donic. Back to connect. Here’s Vincent. Guarded by Vanique. Vincent can’t hit. The Rockets lead by five. Who’s watching Van Vleet on the wing. He’s covered by Vincent. Back to Durant. Thompson finds Van Vleet. tries to break his ice. Here’s Shenun up and in on the layup and the Rockets lead by seven. Paying attention out there, Shenun able to insert himself and save that play. Benson passes to Donic. Vanderbilt. A screen on Thompson to the inside and Vanderville gets it to go on the assist from Donic. Donic has got his seventh assist of the game with that last one. Now here’s Durant. Thompson scanning the floor. Back to Durant. They double team Durant. Kevin Durant unfased by the D. Great recognition of the mismatch. Abusing the smaller defender quarterback outside Vanderbilt. Van Vleet with it. Uses the glass on the layup. And now it’s a 9-point Rocket lead. This is what he gives you night in and night out. Stellar production at the offensive end. And so JJ Reic calls for the timeout. He wants to make sure everyone is aligned given the situation right now. Heat. Heat. and Los Angeles will go for a different look here. DeAndre Eaton, he’s checked in for Hayes. Aimura comes in for Vanderbilt. James has checked in for Connect and Austin Reeves is subbed in for Vincent. And a change for the Rockets. Smith’s checked in. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. They trail by nine. No good with the triple. Houston has gone 0 for two from outside here in the fourth quarter. Back to Smith. Pass to Thompson. Durant for three. Yes. And a nice assist from Thompson. And it’s a 12-point Rocket lead. Hard to stop Durant when he’s set up like this. He’s so well positioned to score. pockets. Nice dish and the layup goes down. Durant’s got 17 now just in the second half. Los Angeles has gone one for five shooting from the arc here in the fourth. Pass to Donic. Donic, you see the strength. And how about the handles Luca has? phenomenal at creating scoring opportunities for himself. The Rockets lead by 12. Thompson outside. Back to Van Vleet. Houston working the ball around. Durant for three. And Houston another three. Now you have to extend that defense. I mean, you really have to stay connected to him at all times. And the lack of defensive pressure on shots like that is a big reason they’re down by double digits. Now here’s Dantic tried to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. Inside. And here’s James. And there’s the call on Amin Thompson. That’s his third foul so far. Aimura outside pass to Donic. 43 connects from downtown. Donic has got five points now this quarter. I like when Donuch goes right up with it giving the defense no time to react. Houston has gone two of four from the perimeter here in the fourth quarter. And here’s Thompson for three. The Lakers with a rebound. Aiden’s got his sixth rebound on the night. Lakers trail by 12. Donic passes to Aiden. Donic outside the three. Smith with the rebound. Smith’s got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. Ganley. Oh, Aiden with the block. With his reach, it’s hard to get anything over DeAndre Aiden. The three is in. The way he can elevate over a defender from deep. Very tough to contain outside the arc. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic. He was quite emphatic, demanding the timeout. Clearly wanting to address strategy with his team. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Lakers trail by 15. Outside Reeves. Aimura outside. Here’s Donic. Now Eaton Shenun with a steal. Now here’s Durant. Now Van Fleet. He launches. Cash from downtown. Oo, and there’s Van Fleet with the easiest three on the floor. That coughing corner three. Now Donic outside. Reeves. James outside. Puts up the tray. LeBron sticks the triple. It’s turned into a showdown here. Dueling from distance. Take that. He says, “I see your three and I’ll raise you another three.” The Rockets lead by 15. Outside Durant now. Van Fleet. Six on the shot clock. Donic there for the rebound. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for the Lakers. The three is off. Houston has gotten four of seven three-pointers to fall in the fourth. Oh, the shake. Working hard inside. Shining. Man, does he earn these calls. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. That free throw good from Shenun. Shenun’s fun to watch on the block. drop steps, spin moves, up and unders. This man will put on a clinic down low. That one falls. So, he hits both of them. Trailing by 17. And the distance between the point totals for these teams tells the whole story. Just a fantastic effort and you have to give it up for the Rockets. They were the more accurate club and in the end that made the difference. Grant Yabier, you have to love their strategy and even more you love the execution. And one player just stole the show tonight doing everything for his team. A monster night for Kevin Durant. He did a great job following his team’s game plan and not rushing anything on offense, which allowed him to catch fire. And they call an illegal screen here. You’re not going to fool the officials too often on an illegal screen. That’s a very avoidable turnover. You got to focus on the details. And the Lakers going with a whole new group out there. Lakers trail by 15. Vincent outside now. Vanderbilt. Quick two all net. And how about Bronny dropping a dime and it’s Houston’s ball. Here’s Capella. Cleared away by Vanderbilt. 35 seconds left in the game. Here’s James beyond the arc. Oh, it’s off. Just let the clock run out. Hey, it’s time to celebrate. No secret that these teams don’t like each other. Could things get a little chippy tonight? It would not surprise me at all, Kevin. These teams not only fierce rivals, but there’s a little bit of animosity for one another. Throw in the fact that both these teams play in the same conference. Yeah, I’d say the spirits might be high tonight. Here’s the starting group for Houston. The perimeter pair will be Thompson next to Durant. Smith and Shangon make up the four and the five. And it’s Van Vleet in at the point. And so the Los Angeles Lakers get the first points of the ball game. right side Kevin Durant and it’s good for two. Nobody better at getting inside and finding good looks. KD rarely forces anything and he usually gets the best shot available. Now here’s Donic. LeBron James on the wing and oh boy a lot of contact there but he gets the call and will shoot two. And before last season, Eime Udoka turned heads when he said the Rockets Clark had playoff aspirations. Well, kudos to Eime Udoka. I mean, very few people believe they would make the playoffs in the Stack Western Conference and no one saw them finishing as a two seed. They didn’t meet expectations. They exceeded. Free throw good. LeBron and James considered a franchise talent without question. This guy is the complete package. And both free throws good for James about one minute into the first quarter. Outside Durant Shangon trying to free himself up and he lays it straight in. Nice handles, tight handles, fluid handles right into his shooting motion. Durant able to do everything on the offensive end. Now we’ll hear from Ally Leforce and she’s got a story for us, an update. Ally. Well, earlier I spoke with JJ Reddit. Coach and I talked about what it’s like competing against Kevin Durant and he said his attention to detail, his dedication to the craft. It’s second to none. You have to have your aame because nobody loves ball more than Kevin Durant. It brings out the best of you as an opponent, too. It’s no secret KD is obsessed with basketball, guys. Back to you. Okay, Ally. Thank you. Dan Vleet outside back to KD. Six on the shot clock. And it’s good. With time running down on the shot clock, Durant’s got six. Boy, he is looking confident. Love how they’re using him so far. And you know what? They’re going to keep using him. I mean, he’ll be the centerpiece of their offense today. You can bank on that. Now, here’s Donic to the inside. Here’s lays it up off the glass. Boy, with the basketball IQ of a 15-year vet, Donic makes plays that even veterans struggle with. And here in the first approaching three minutes played outside KD back to Van Vleet. Four on the clock. The three from KD Van Gleet. And Van Vleet is right there. Those are frustrating and deflating points to give up. Van Fleet, a small guy getting the offensive board like that. Shaking my head. Nice shot by Thompson, guys. That’s just really unstoppable. He poses a ton of matchup problems for whomever he’s facing. And first quarter, we’re about 3 and 1/2 minutes in. Reeves outside. Now here’s Aton. Pass to Donic and it’s off from three-point range. And it’s Smith with the ball. He brings it up for Houston. Now Thompson. And here is Van Vleet. Guarded by Donic. And here is Durant. Just five on the clock. That one drops for him. Eight points for him. And once he got to the 10, I think he was surprised to find himself that wide open. Well, this early, they should be showing a lot more energy on defense. It’s not there. Stolen by Thompson. Pulls from the top of the key. Smith kicks to Thompson for three. Van Bleet rebound the Lakers. An even threeon-ree break. Lakers passing it around. James with it. Picked up by Thompson. LeBron against Thompson. Over Thompson. And it’s James missing. That’s exactly how you have to defend him. He’s a guy that the D needs to be aware of at all times. Smith in the post. Covered by LeBron. Donic against Van Vleet. Good. Nice job down low. Great work by Van Fleet. So good at carving out space on the interior. So it’s the Lakers now trailing by five. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach is going to take a few minutes to regroup and go over the strategy. Heat. Heat. and the Lakers. ers have possession. It’s a five-point game. Pass to Eightton. No one near Reeds as he lets it go. Los Angeles with another miss. Here’s Thompson. Wow. Rocketing off the deck. Thompson showing that youthful exuberance. Lakers have gone 50% from the field hitting three of six since the opening tip. Eighton a screen on Durant and here’s James outside. Chenon with the rebound. Rockets on offense. They’re on a 16-7 run. Thompson against Reeves. Smith sets the pick for KD. Back to Smith. Just four to shoot and he can’t extend the lead to double digits. And you don’t want to give up that kind of look too often. Here’s Reeds. The Rockets pull it in. Smith’s got his fourth rebound with that last one here tonight. Van Vleet outside. Back to KD Shenon with a screen on LeBron. shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws. That one on Aton. And Shangon is a hard player to get a handle on. Pretty unpredictable, which makes him hard to guard without fouling. And guys, let’s get your take on the scoring breakdown for the Rockets. Oh man, how about the mid-range jumper from these guys? It’s on tonight. A huge part of their offense so far. And you know, in no time at all, they’ve also started finding points inside already taking apart that interior defense. The free throw drops for Shangon. The thing that stands out about Shangon is how crafty he is in the post. Excellent footwork and a lot of moves. Vanderbilt’s checked in for Los Angeles. off on that one. So he goes one for two at the line. Lakers trail by eight. James right side. Pass to Donic. Eighton sets the pick for Donic. Can they get it? Los Angeles with another miss. The Rockets have gone eight of 12 on field goal attempts so far. Eightton against Durant. Shenon with a screen on Eightton. Another miss by Houston. Not sure what what the D was doing there. Clearly a breakdown. You can ill afford to give a guy like him that good a look. Donic against Van Vleet. Patterville gets a wideopen look and again the Lakers no good. Rockets leading by eight. Smith the pass to Van Fleet. KD looking around. And it’s LeBron James with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone a meager 106 from three-point land since we got started. And the dunk by Vanderbilt. Well, you know, he may be a bit undersized at the four, but he makes up for it with his athleticism. And so, Van Vleet will bring it up for Houston. And so, the timeout taken here by Eay Udoka. This now will give him a chance to discuss some potential changes. Do it again. We got to do it. Do it. Do again. Do it again. And some changes here for the Lakers. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Jake Laavia comes in for LeBron. And Marcus Smart has subbed in for Austin Reeds. The Rockets also changing it up. Clint Capella, he’s checked in first. Chang Tory and Finny Smith comes in for Smith and Tory Een subbed in for Durant. Los Angeles on Dan. They trail by six inside. Here’s Thompson. Good. And Van Glee gets the assist and it’s six points from Amen Thompson. It helps that Thompson can score with either hand close to the bucket. Defenders can’t force him to one side or the other. Now here’s Donic. Nothing on the board. Outside Smart just five to shoot. Shoots over Vanete. Smart misses. Houston leading by eight. Van Vleet outside. Pass to Finny Smith. Houston needs to get a shot on Thompson from long range. It’s held in by Los Angeles. Now Larabia E grabs the board. Now here’s Capella. Johnson finds Van Vleet. Vanderbilt with the steel. Donic outside. Smart. Back to Donic. Shot clock at five. He can’t hit that time. Good D by Thompson. Rockets leading by eight. Pass to Van Vleet. Back to Thompson. And Maxi Clebbo is going to pick up the foul. That’s his first foul. Houston making some changes. Shenun’s checked in for Capella. Aaron Holiday comes in for Amen Thompson and Shepard subbed in for Fred Van Vleet. 141 left in the first quarter. Outside Holiday, five on the clock. The Rockets with another miss. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. And now Alli Leapor has something for us from the sideline. Thanks guys. The Rockets have brought in the right veterans. Coach Eme Udoka said, quote, “Their approach rubbed off on our entire team. We can only teach so much, but you have to have guys that have carved out their niche in the league with that edge and that defensive mentality. It was invaluable for our team.” Back to you guys. You know, they’ve got that that grit. Thank you, Ally. Shingun with the bucket. The balance, the focus. Shenon shrugging off the contact in style. Lakers trail by eight. Some tough offensive sets. They want to turn it around. Yeah, right now you just need a bucket to get some momentum. Smart passes to Donic. Takes a three and it’s Lorabia missing. And for the Rockets, they’re shooting 56% in this first quarter. An outstanding start for this offense. Shenun passes to Sh. Pass to Wen. Off target there. That would have pushed the lead to double digits. Smart passes to Donic. Now here’s Smart guarded by Holiday. Here’s Vanderbilt off target with his three. And so it’s Houston in the driver’s seat up eight points at the end of the quarter. They’ve been playing some inspired defense, giving a very few easy points. Back right after this And thanks again for tuning in. If you’re just joining us, we’ve played through one quarter of action so far. And guys, for the Rockets, what jumps out to you from a number standpoint? Well, in that first quarter, they were intent on just pounding the ball down low. Yeah, and it’s worked. They’ve got a clear edge and points in the paint. Now we’ll see if they go with a more balanced attack or just keep on pounding it inside. And so in the game for the Rockets, we’ve got Alperon Shangon. Tory East is out there with Dorian Finny Smith. Then there’s Shepard and it’s a Kogi in at the two. Here’s Reeds following the score by Houston. Outside Smart Reeves with the screen for Smart. It’s rebounded by Houston and not allowing the shooter even an inch of breathing room on that one. And guys, that’s exactly the kind of high impact defense they want to see out of him. It’s tipped. Back to Reeves outside. Smart. They set the pick. Just five to shoot. The rebound by Shepard. Yeah, that’s got to be frustrating for him. He’ll usually convert that. Clea against Shenun. Here’s Shepard and the three off target. The second chance effort. Shenun no good. A good scoreer around the rim. He is met there by an irresistible force. Now here’s Smart. He’s covered closely. It’s stolen by Een. Takes it inside and there it is for him. Een’s got the lead up to 12 now for Houston. Big miscommunication on defense. He recognizes it and quickly takes advantage. Boy, the defense looks shell shocked. I mean, they’re on the ropes right now on their heels. Outside Smart on the wing, Reeds. Pass to Cleba and stolen by Shangun. Here’s Eim. Good. And it’s Shenun picking up the assist. Be careless around Shingun at your own peril. He’ll pick your pocket if you’re not careful. Second quarter of play with almost three minutes gone. Here’s Smart. Oh, Reed in position. Throws down the alley slam. And with the trend, Greg, toward a faster pace. Do you miss watching those grinded out half court battles that enthralled millions during the Jordan era? Well, I I miss playing more than anything, but as far as watching the game for me is as good as it’s ever been. And the Rockets with possession here after the basket by Los Angeles. Pass to Finny Smith. Now Shepard. No good on the three. Reeves outside. Vanderbilt. A screen on Een. It’s deflected. Vanderbilt finds Smart. Six to shoot. The Lakers need to get a shot off here. There’s Labraia and a miss there with a chance to cut the lead to single digits. Houston leading by 12. Pass to Finny Smith. Here’s a Kogi. He’s defended by Reed. Aki the pass to Shenun and Shenun throws it down. Turkish thunder. Shenun tasting the sauce up top. Here’s Vanderbilt. They’ve been looking out of sync offensively. Yeah, that their offense has ground to a standstill. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the decision to huddle up with his guys and talk about strategy. and Los Angeles with some changes. Koko’s checked in and it’s connect in for Jake Larabia. The Rockets also changing it up. Durant’s checked in for Dorian Finny Smith. Thompson comes in for Josh Shakogi and it’s Fred Van Vleet in for Shepard to the paint. Pass to connect. Oh, good with the triple. Yeah, but the defenders draped all over him. He just could not shake loose. Van Vleet passes to Thompson. Back to Van Vleet. Get it. Come get it. And contact on the shot. So, he’ll be shooting free throws here. Greg, last season, the Lakers exceeded expectations by winning 50 games and finishing third in the West. They went on quite a run after acquiring Luca Donic, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. As we know, this is an organization judged on championship success. And he makes the first. And you look at these Rockets, Greg, pretty fearsome on the defensive end. I mean, great length and athleticism on the wings and a defensive-minded coach in Eay Yodoka. They’ll make you work for it. No doubt about it. And the Lakers making a change here. Hayes has checked in. And a switch here also for Houston. Smith checked in for Jar Een and so Van Vleet nails both of them. You got to love Van Vleet’s fearlessness and I think that’s why his teammates look up to him as a leader. Don with a strong move inside and really it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. And KD’s got the ball here for Houston. Their defense has only allowed four points in the quarter. Van Vleet passes to Thompson. Smith against Vanderbilt. Fires the three and there’s KD. That’s good on the assist by Smith. Durant’s got 11. Players with KD size generally don’t have that quick release, too. Incredible combination for him. Lakers trail by 17. They need a bucket in a big way here to regain some confidence. And Hayes kicks to Vanderbilt. Back to Hayes and he takes it in for the layup off a very nice feed. Hayes has got his first two points and they’ve repeatedly probed inside in the first half, guys, and and it’s paid off. Rockets have gotten just over 50% of their shots to drop here in the second quarter. They’re five for nine. And the bucket is good. Three-point play chance here for him. Yeah, you know, you’re kidding yourself if you think Durant is going to back down from the opponent. Man, what a strong finish there. The Rockets shooting their fifth free throw of the game here. Yeah, last year collectively only 74% from the line. And those aren’t the kind of numbers they can afford to repeat throughout this season. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. DeAndre Aiden’s checked in for Jackson Hayes. Hatchima comes in for Vanderbilt and it’s LeBron in for Austin Reeds. I don’t think you could design a better score than Durant. I mean, range from deep, the touch at the rim, excellent handling, seven feet tall. He does everything you want from your first option. Boy, I like how quickly he threw the bounce pass there. Hard to defend against that. Rockets leading by 15. Van Vleet outside. Thompson for three. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles on the wing. James to the middle. Here’s Happy Murray and foul on the shot. So he’ll get a chance at the line. Shabari Smith picks one up. Strong take by Hachimura. He is built to do damage in there. Lakers shooting their third and fourth free throw shots of the night. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. No good on that one. Rebound. Got to get it. Big good on the second free throw. Houston leading by 14. And here is Durant. He’s got 14. had another one in the scoring column for him. He’s seven of 10 from the field. What doesn’t Kevin Durant do? He’s showing us everything here. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something to adjust. Get over. James finds Donic. No good on the triple. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. Pass to Shenun. Now Thompson. He’s guarded by Connect. Thompson misses. Lakers trail by 16. And here’s James outside. The shot’s good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. And it’s Van Vleet with the ball for the Houston Rockets. Thompson outside and here’s KD for three. That’s in for his eighth bucket tonight. A hot eight for 11 shooting so far. Right back at you. Durant motivated to put it right in his opponent’s face. No better way to do it than with a three of his own. Now here’s Donic. Donic right at the doorstep. And you’re going to take as many of those high percentage shots as you can get. Houston leading by 14. KD passes to Shenu. Now Van Vleet Thompson for the triple and it’s with the rebound. Payton’s got five rebounds tonight. Pass to Hatchima over KD and the Lakers tack on two more. Most any coach loves points coming off assist. And so the timeout taken here by Eay Udoko looking for a breather and maybe adjusting a thing or two. Tari Een’s checked in for Alpin Shenun. Here’s Van Vleet. Six points for him. Thompson outside. Houston moving the ball around. Here’s Smith. Rebounded by DeAndre Eton’s got six rebounds now in the game. It’s time to send it over now to our reporter Ally Leforce. Hey, thanks a lot. Fred Van Gle is a leader for the Rockets. Their coach Eay Udoka says Fred sometimes goes against his natural inclination playing the good cop because Eay himself is so hard on them but adds Fred is a grumpy dude. He always finds something to be mad at. We need that with our team. Back to you. They love his disposition. Okay, thank you Ally. Nice shot by Thompson. Defensively, you have to live with Thompson making those because if you get up too close at the arc, Almond will blow right by you. Now, here is Himura. Nine points in the game so far. Here’s Donic. Luca blows right through the contact. And we always talk about making your teammate better. That assist was right on target. Houston leading by 11. Durant up top. James covering and the whistle blows. It’s going to be on Luca Donuch. That’s foul number two for him. The Lakers making a switch here. Reeves is checked in. And so it’s Houston with it. They led by as many as 18 points for three. Van Vleet. It’s held in by Los Angeles. LeBron kicks to Donic. Good. And the assist goes to James. LeBron’s got his fourth assist in this one. You know, if Luca wants the three-point shot, he just takes it. No hesitation. Thompson outside. Back to Durant. Smith with a screen on James. Durant inside working on James. Great D that time from LeBron. Pass to Hatchima. And here is Aton. Squeeze. This one for three. It’ll go. The Rocket lead is cut down now to just five on the basket from LeBron. You know, LeBron’s not really known for his quick trigger, but showing you right there that he does have catch and shoot ability. And KD has got the ball here for the Rockets. And no good. The dry spell continuing for him. Pass to Hatchima over Een Reeves outside. Now here’s Aton and a miss there on the triple. Here is Durant. He’s got 19. Look at KD going to work inside. And his stroke has been dead on from the outside. I mean, inside, outside, it just doesn’t matter. 43 seconds left to play here in the half. Nonic bounce pass the three from LeBron. Good on the triple. LeBron’s got 11. He’s become so comfortable from long range. That shot’s now a weapon for LeBron. Van Ble against Donic. Out to Thompson. Pocket six. Trains it from 9 ft away. Thompson’s got five points now in the quarter. Nice job there by Thompson. He’s got the length and lift off the floor to do it just like that. Hatchimal. No good from outside. And so we conclude the first half. Rockets lead by six. We’re going to step away briefly, but get you right back out here for the start of the third quarter after our halftime. And after a fairly even first couple of quarters, the second half could turn out to be a great one as both teams try to gain an edge. What a game we’re seeing from Kevin Durant. You just love the patience in that first half. Waited until he got the look he wanted. Well, you know what, guys? It was all about efficient offense, not rushing things, taking your time, finding the best shot on every possession. Reeves and it shooting guard. James is the small forward. Aimura is the four with eight in playing the five. And it’s Donic in at the point guard position. That’s JJ Reick five as we get into the second half. Reeves with it. Picked up by Van Valle. Back to Reeves. Durant with the steal to the inside. Here’s Thompson. And it’s Thompson with the jam. He’s got rocket shiplike takeoff. Thompson can flat out fly. Lakers trail by eight. Don passes to Eightton. lets it go from deep and it’s Donic. That time on the assist by Hatchima. Donic has got 12 and they’ve got to talk to each other on D there. Miscommunication and now he’s able to make him pay. Durant no good. And Los Angeles guys shooting straight 49% from the field. Here’s Thompson. Van Vleet kicks to Smith. Thompson right side. Four on the clock. Durant down low. Covered by LeBron. KD can’t get it to go and Aton throws it down. And it’s the way Aiden uses his body inside. It’s what allows him to get so close to the basket. Houston leading by three. Smith kicks to Durant. Two minutes gone in this third quarter. Now LeBron with some nice deep diversified scoring in this one for him. I love when everyone can get involved. A full team effort. Now here’s Durant. One points in the game for three. Van Vleet knocks down the three ball. He’s got nine because he’s got such good touchdown there. Van Fleet never afraid to mix it up inside. Reeves outside. Reeves with the screen for LeBron. Pass to Donic. shoots over Van Vleet. Donic no good. And so it’s Smith with it. He’ll bring it up for the Houston Rockets. Van Vleet outside. Puts up a three rebound. The Lakers got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one. Over in the corner. Los Angeles with another miss. Rockets leading by six. In the corner, it’s Van Vleet. KD on the wing over Donic. Rebounded by the Lakers. Payton sets the pick for Donic. Luca hits the three. Well, you know, the moment Luca gets loose now, his shot is off. Great quick release for the big guy. Van Vleet with it. He’s got nine. Thompson in the corner. Pass to Shenun. Overrightton. The Rockets again can’t hit. Lakers trail by three. Reeves with it. Picked up by Thompson. Donic kicks to LeBron for the tie and another three for the Lakers. So impressive the fortitude, the will to battle back, but it did take a lot of energy to get here. Yeah, you know, battling back is about staying the course and their attitude never changed. And here is Van Vleet after Luca Donic hitting the three. Pass to Durant. Lets it grabs the miss. Nothing seems to be going his way this quarter. To me, it appears he’s starting to lose his composure a little bit. We’ll see if he can regroup and get back into a better rhythm. And here’s James outside. Thompson with the rebound. Houston’s gone one and two from beyond the arc since coming out of the break. And there’s KD. That’s good on the assist by Smith. KD’s got 24 points. And the Lakers have possession. It’s a three-point game. KD against LeBron. Over in the corner, Don Crare corner three from Luca. Dreams it. He’s found his rhythm from deep and and you can see the confidence. Yeah, I’d be confident, too. As a matter of fact, I mean, you’re stacking up threes the way he is. I mean, he’s doing all this work from behind the arc. And so, the timeout taken here by Eay Udoka. He’s going to make some adjustments to the game plan. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. opportunity. I Houston’s gone two of three when they ventured outside the arc in the third quarter. Durant the pass to Shenun. It’s good and it’s seven points for Shenun. Inside the paint, Shenun is a force to be reckoned with. The Lakers trail on the wing. James the 19 ft shot. It’s rebounded by Houston. Thompson’s got four rebounds now tonight. Here’s Van Fleet and out of bounds as the Lakers gain possession. Look, the intentions were good. I like the unselfishness, but the execution a lot to be desired. Smarts checked in for Los Angeles. The Lakers have gone five of nine on field goal attempts since halftime. Van Vleet with it now guarded by Smart. Van Vleet outside. Shenon with a screen on Smart. Six to shoot. And Shenun throws it down. working that pick and roll action superbly. Shangon knows exactly where he needs to be. Lakers trail by four. Smart passes to James. Smart with this screen on Durant. There’s the three. Rebound by Smith. Smith’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. Things really clicking for him at the offensive end. They’re making good decisions, not wasting these opportunities. Yeah, I mean maybe could have tried for a more memorable dunk than that one. And we know he’s capable of those memorable ones. Hey, they’ve got a nice comfortable lead here, fellas. Might as well keep it simple. Do it a plain simple one-hander just like pound cake. Here’s Donic. The Rockets making the shot. Good D by Johnson. Houston leading by six. Durant kicks to Thompson. Back to Durant. The shot comes out. Some solid defense from Eightton. Here’s Hatchimura. And the dunk by Hatimura. That is big time by Hachimura. No mercy at all. Rockets have gone six of 14 since halftime. A little cold from the field. When LeBron’s playing days are over and GA, who knows when that’ll be. What will you remember most about his play? You know, I don’t think there’s ever been a player who came into the league with such lofty expectations and not only met those expectations, but fair to say he’s exceeded them. Here’s James after the made shot from KD. And that one’s good. Hachimura, he loves to attack from the inside. This is Hachimura’s comfort zone, no doubt. And it’s Durant with the ball. He’ll bring it up for the Houston Rockets. They led by as many as 18 points. Smith wide open. He fired. His three-pointer is off the mark. Lakers trail by four. Here’s Yaki Murray. Smart kicks to Hatchima. LeBron sets the screen for an passes to Aton. Good. And the assist goes to Don. Eightton’s got four points now in the quarter. Just terrific at executing in the paint. Eightton has a nice array of shots to choose from. And so the timeout taken here by Eay Udoko. He’s gonna take this chance to talk to his guy. Got my hands up. You can take me higher. Higher like it’s the weekend. You can’t bring me down. Got my hands up. Play that song again. Take me higher. I’m living like a big group substitution here for the Lakers. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for Eaton. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Jake Larabia is checked in for LeBron. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Luca Donuch. Now here’s Capella. He has yet to score. Inside, stolen away. Here’s Laabia guarded by Holiday. Smart finds Cleveland. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Reeds. Can’t tie it up as that one’s no good. Houston in the lead. Holiday. The pass to Finny Smith and finished off by Penny Smith. Hey, I know he makes a lot of threes, but he is not just a shooter. Fenny Smith will throw it down on you if you’re not careful. And here is Los Angeles now. Now Reeves. Clea with a screen on Crawford. And here’s Reeds outside. And the great shooters know when they’ve got enough opening to go for the three. I didn’t think it was a bad choice on that possession. Yep, that one goes. Now it’s a six-point Houston lead. Got the better of the defense that time. Easy trip to the rim. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Fires the three. Rebounded by Capella. Houston’s gone into the three-point range four times since halftime and buried two of them. Crawford sets the pick here for East. Off the mark there with the three-point shot. No way has gone downtown a long since halftime. They’ve missed five of their nine attempts out there. Reeves the pass to Arabia. Smart against Holiday. Back to Arabia. Just three to shoot. Een grabs the board. Een’s got four rebounds in this game. Crawford outside. Holiday surveying the floor. They find Jay on the way. Head shot off. Lakers trail by six. It’s 9 seconds separating the shot clock in game time to the left side wing and good as it just snugs right down through the net. Boy, this team is comfortable with Ree running the show. He’s an excellent decision maker. And here’s Holiday who will bring it up for Houston. They led by as many as 18 points. There’s Crawford with the three and he got that one up in time but doesn’t go in. And we’ve watched three so far in this one. Pockets ahead up by four. And don’t go away. We’ll be back momentarily. While we have the chance now, folks, let’s go to our State Farm assist of the game. And how about the big fella here showing us he’s got some point guard skill here with the tremendous setup. Hey, that was a highle pass no matter what position it came from. But it does make it stand out a little more when it’s made by the big fell. And it’s been a very competitive game so far as we get rolling here in quarter number four. Fourth quarter on the court for the Rockets. Shepard out there with Jan Tate. Then there’s Dorian Finny Smith. Then it’s Tari Een. And it’s Shenun in at the five spot. Pocket four. Fires away from outside. Hawkins with the rebound. Shenun’s got 11 rebounds in the game. Pass to Shepard. It’s down low. Here’s Een. And the layup’s good off the glass. And the Rockets lead by six. And guys, all about hard work from this point on. They’ve worked hard to create that high quality shot and then able to knock it down. The Lakers shooting here about 46% for the game. Tate against Reeves. Clea with a screen on tape and looks like the illegal kick was set. Yep, that’s right. That’ll get their attention. Beyond the leaning, you could see his feet more weren’t set on that screen. Easy call. Yeah, I agree. You know, sometimes that can be a tough call for the refs to make, but not that time. It was easy there. Catching up on the changes for Houston. Crawford’s checked in and Aaron Holidays subbed in for Shepard. And Jared Vanderbilt gets the whistle that time. That’s his first foul. Aogi’s check in for the Rockets. We play just over one minute here in the fourth quarter. Picked by Finny Smith and he uses the glass on the layup. Well, I like this from Makokei. I mean, still refining his perimeter game so he makes his presence felt inside. The Lakers with the ball, trailing here by eight. Laia finds Vincent. Vanderbilt a screen on Holland. Vincent gets it to go from beyond the arc. Vincent’s got himself going there. His first points of the game on the deep ball outside. Holiday. Shangun against Cleba. Couldn’t get it to drop. He’s now made five of eight shots. Reeves the pass to Cleba. Here’s Reeves. Lets the three fly. Een grabs the board. Een’s got five rebounds tonight. To the paint. Finny Smith in the post. Clea on him. Finny Smith kicks to Holiday. Nice pass. Let him to the rack perfectly for the layup. And the Rockets lead by seven. And here is Los Angeles now. Reeves outside. Vincent, the pass to Vanderville and the dunk by Vanderbilt. And that’s how you move the ball. Putting the defense in a really tough spot. Rockets leading by five. Pass to Shenun. We’re in the final quarter of play here. 3 minutes in now. Finny Smith on the clock and out of bounds as the Lakers gain possession. Connect. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Honic comes in for Austin Reed. And a switch here also for Houston. KD’s jacked in for Josh Aki. The Lakers have gone two of four from the field since we started the final quarter of play. And JJ Reick calls timeout here. He’s not taking any chances and wants to huddle him up right away. Heat. Heat. Get Houston making a switch here. Shepard’s checked in. We’re now joined by our sideline reporter Ally Leforce. Ally, it’s all yours. I was able to listen in on what JJ Reic was going over with his team. He told them, quote, “If we’d worked harder on the glass, we’d probably be up right now. Show some heart. Show some pride.” It was a very direct message. Back to you guys. All right, Ally. Thanks. The Lakers with the ball. So far in the fourth quarter, they’ve allowed just six points. Vincent the pass to Vanderbilt and he drops in the layup off the glass and you want him taking big shots for you in big moments. That one was as easy as it gets. Well, you don’t want to give him any open shots at this stage, never mind a layup. Come on now. My goodness. Basket counts. Durant’s got 28 points for the game. And the advantage he has is obvious. It’s clear. I mean, just taking what the defense gives him there. Fourth quarter of play and over three and a half minutes have gone by. Inside Clebo with the bucket. Look, when you play as a team, good things tend to happen for you. Rockets leading by three. Shepard. The pass to Shenu. And here is KD. Good. And it’s Shenun picking up the assist. 30 points for KD. Nice setup. Excellent team basketball. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. Pass to Cleba. Now Vincent and here is Donic. guarded by KD. Just five on the clock on the arc and Durant sends it back. You know, somehow Durant is still a bit overlooked as a defender and shot blocker. And Houston again with the bucket and when he gets in his head that he’s going to get to the basket, very little you can do defensively. Vanderbilt and the dunk by Vanderbilt. He’s used to sharing the love. Exceptional timing on that bat. The Rockets have gotten it done so far from the field here in the fourth going six for seven. Pass to Durant. Here’s Shepard. Here’s Een. He’s guarded by Connect. Four on the shot clock. Here’s Shepard. No good from outside. got the defender off his feet with the pump fake but couldn’t knock it down. The three production of three-pointer is right on target. Now here’s a two-point rocket lead and perimeter scoring. I have to imagine it was a topic of discussion at halftime. Certainly. I mean they saw a weakness in the perimeter defense and took advantage of it. Durant shot is good. Durant got 13 points here in the second half alone. And look at how quick he was to bite on the pump fake. Left his feet way too soon. Here’s Donic. Doesn’t go that time. Nice defense from KD. He with it. Gette picks him up. Houston moving it around. Pass to Shepard at the elbow. It’s Shenun and rebounded by Connect. Lakers trail by four to the middle. Vanderbilt the pass to Vincent. Now here’s Donic. Luca throws it down. I know Dantis takes pride in being able to produce for his team and he’s doing it at a high level here. With the steel and he gets the whistle. Two free throws coming up. Nice work to get it inside and draw the contact. Exactly. The defense determined not to allow the easy layup right there. They’ll settle for making him earn the free throws. makes it and the next one could tie it up. Luca Donic is a do-it-all player. I mean, he does everything for this team, including being a walking triple double threat on a game by-game basis. Looking at who’s out there now for the Lakers, he’s checked in for Maxi Clebbo. Hatimura comes in for Vanderbilt. LeBron’s checked in for Connect. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Vincent. That one drops. He ties it up for Houston. They’ve gone seven of 10 shooting the ball since the start of the fourth quarter. Back to Van Vleet. Shot clock at six. Thompson at balls. Great assist by Van Vleet. This is how you run the screen and roll, folks. Van Vleet with the pinpoint pass to finish it off. Los Angeles has gone two of five on three-point shots since the end of the third quarter. LeBron sets the screen for Donic and that won’t go. Missing the go-ahead bucket. Rockets have gone eight of 11 from the field in the final period. Great shooting down the stretch. Van Vleet against Donic outside KD. shoots over James. Durant no good. The Lakers trail pass to Reeds and here is Aton. Now here is Himemer covered by Van Gle. Los Angeles with another miss. And there have been some terrible shot choices here, Kev. That’s not a good look at all. Smith kicks to Venley. The bucket is good. He’ll have a chance for one more. Austin Reeves picks one up. You know, the defense is all over Durant inside, but you know, his length and agility and high release point allow him to still make it happen. Find the lanes. Mind the lanes. One shot. Enzo Donuch will bring it up for Los Angeles. It’s a five-point game. Three-pointer. Yes, it’s James picking up the assist. Donic has got 31 points. Get used to seeing this folks. Donic taking the moment head on and delivering. Here’s Van Vleet. Thompson. A screen on Donic. Now Smith outside Durant. So smooth on the three from Durant. No stage too big for KD. If you need a basket, he’s your man. Van Vleet against Donic. One up. Heads off. And it’s still a rare sight to see rebound numbers like the ones he’s had tonight. Boy, he has put in some major work. He’s earning his pay for sure. That is good offense. Unselfish play. Lakers trail by seven. James left side puts up the three. Kingun with the rebound. You know, the ill- advised threes isn’t how you want to close the gap. We’ve got to have better shot selection. The Lakers have gone eight of 16 from the field in the fourth. Exactly 50%. James. Oh, and you know, we’ve come to expect this from LeBron James, guys. I mean, when his team needs a bucket, he rises to the occasion outside. KD now. Shenun shoots the three. Conc there for the rebound. And Los Angeles guys shooting 49% on the game. They’ll take that and down it goes. Nice work from Gonic doing a good job finding a way to get it done inside. This is Van Bleak. We’ve got 118 left here in the fourth quarter. Not that time it won’t go. Johnson outside the screen on top. Here’s puts it right back up and in. Shouldering the load. Aton taking care of business here in the play. Shun with the screen for Van Glee. Thompson outside. Yeah, good job trying to get a hand in the face, but you’ve got to be more careful, especially on the three-point attempt. I mean, you have to defend that shot without fouling. Now, you give a guy three free throws. Three shots. Three shots. And that one will not go for him. But he does have two more to shoot. And a tough miss as the second of three shots at the line missing. One to go. And he finally gets one to drop after missing the first two. That will put them up by two. He missed a chance to put him up by three. You know, he’d like to have that one back. And JJ Reick is called timeout. Coach clearly feeling the necessity to regroup with so much at stake here. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. James looking around. Here’s Dunic to tie it up. And it’s out of bounds. Nice touch by Donic. They’ll be trying to take as much time off the clock as they can. Exactly. Expect to see longer possessions from this point on. And you can’t get a bigger bucket than that. Well, that was want to. He wanted the ball. Nobody else was taking that shot. This could be a turning point. Critical possession right here, James. Yeah, the defense has to be careful with LeBron. I mean, he’s a clever shooter who knows how to draw fouls. He uses his body really well. And no good as the first free throw missing for him. We’ll see if he can nail the second. And the second of two is good. That narrows the lead down to just three. If he hits all of those, they’re feeling a lot more comfortable, but now still a onep possession game. Had to foul than on that occasion to stop the clock. That’s the enemy in this situation. And you know what? Who knows? A few misses at the strike and they’re right there within range. You know, late game free throws are a lot different than early game free throws in terms of making. He drops the first one and that gives them a four-point cushion. So, he goes two for two at the line and it’s a five-point game. Two possession game now, guys. Some very important free throws there. And the Lakers call time here. They’re trailing by five. Turning here to our analysts. What factors, guys, come to your mind? They’re trying to get back in this thing. They need a score. Yeah. And they need it hiccup fast. I mean, they’ll be drawing up a quick hitter in the huddle here. No doubt. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. It’s James stolen by Dan Vleet and that’s an intentional foul. shooting two. First free throw is good and that increases their lead to six. and he hits both free throws here. So now it’s a seven-point game. And he just garnered a little bit more insurance there. Very confident that he able to go up and knock those down. So many of the plays they’re running designed to create opportunities from deep. Well, you know, that’s exactly their plan here in the fourth. Work to find space behind the arc and then bury some threes. And there’s the intentional foul. No choice but to stop the clock here. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. And he misses the first one. Boy, he wanted that one to fall. He’s able to hit the second one and that puts them up by five. Fatimura fires. The three is off. So we see the Rockets get the win here. They seem to relish their role as the bad guy here tonight. Yeah, you know, Kevin, I sense that as well. I mean, they really did feed off all of that negative energy this crowd was directing at them. I mean, they turned it around and used it as motivation to close out a significant win. Now, we have a moment to go courtside. Alli Leforce has got something for us. Fred, no surprise, a great defensive showing tonight. What is it that makes this team so suffocating at that end of the floor? Well, I think we’re getting pretty good effort from each guy individually. I think we’re finding our package defensively as a as a team uh as a coaching staff and just kind of jelling and and putting together individual game plans from the coaches and trying to execute it. No doubt. Thanks, Fred. As always, Ally, we appreciate it. And that’ll do it, folks. Alongside Clark Kellogg, Greg Anthony, and Ally Leforce, I’m Kevin Harland. And as always, we appreciate you joining us right here tonight on 2K. And as we leave you, let’s take a look at our player of the game, Kevin Durant.

NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets LIVE | NBA PRESEASON | Sept. 28, 2025 | 2K26

Simulation Video Game – is an attempt to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such as training, analysis, or prediction.. Please don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE this channel then hit the NOTIFICATION BELL so that you’ll be updated on my next videos.. Your comments and suggestions are very much welcome! It will be a great help for this small channel to grow.. Thank you! ☺️

#nba #lakersvsrockets #nbapreseason #nbafullgamehighlights #nbalivetoday #nbalive #nbatoday #nba2025 #nbahighlights #nbahighlightstoday #nbagametoday #lebronjames #bronnyjames #anthonydavis #lakers #rockets #lalakers #houstonrockets #chrispaul #stephencurry #kevindurant #nikolajokic #nbapredictionstoday #nbaseason2025 #damianlillard #giannisantetokounmpo

Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Chicago Bulls Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Indiana Pacers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Milwaukee Bucks Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs LA Clippers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Sacramento Kings Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Washington Wizards Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Atlanta Hawks Full Game Highlights

nba,nba highlights today,lakers game today,lakers vs rockets highlights,lakers vs rockets live,nba live,lakers highlights today,lakers vs rockets,lakers vs rockets 2025,rockets vs lakers,nba games today,nba today,nba highlights,nba live now,rockets vs lakers 2025,lakers vs rockets full game highlights,lakers rockets 2025,lakers vs rockets highlights today,nba games full,lakers,rockets,la lakers,houston rockets,nba live today,lakers live,los angeles

Leave a Reply