On January 30, 2024, Beijing time, in today's NBA game, the 21-24 Rockets hosted the 24-23 Lakers, this game is crucial for both sides, the Rockets want to rush to the play-off area, the Lakers want to rush to the top eight, and both sides want to win this game. For the Rockets, Smith is back, Eason is absent, starters: VanVleet + Jalen Green + Dillon + Smith + Shin Jing, Reddish and Vincent are absent for the Lakers, starters: Russell + Reaves + Prince + James + thick eyebrows.
In the first quarter of the game, Jalen Green went to the basket at the beginning, causing a thick eyebrow foul, 2 free throws and 2 hits, and then Jalen Green continued to impact the basket, Shen Jing also scored a layup, the Lakers only James made 2 free throws and 1 hit, the Rockets 8-1, thick eyebrows made a layup, Russell scored, Jalen Green, Shen Jing and Smith responded together, the Rockets 15-8, Russell made 2 free throws and 2 hits, Dillon and Jalen Green scored 5 points in a row, the Rockets led by 10 points, Russell, thick eyebrows, James, Reaves overtook 1 point, Smith and Shen Jing overtook 3 points, thick eyebrows, Hachimura scored, Whitmore exploded, shot 2 three-pointers in a short period of time, completed 3 dunks, scored 12 points, and his terrible impact gave the Rockets an 11-point lead, and the Rockets led 42-31 in the first quarter. The Rockets scored 42 points in the first quarter, setting a team record for the season.
In the second quarter of the game, Dillon and Jeff Green scored, Vanderbilt made a layup and was pushed by Dillon, the referee looked at the replay and thought it was an ordinary foul, Reaves shot, the difference was 10 points, Vanderbilt poked Dillon's head with his fingers and was expelled, James made a layup with Jeff Green, Jeff Green responded immediately, and scored 2+1 against Wood, Russell shot, Tate made a layup, Whitmore was about to burst in the face of James, James fouled, 1 of 2 free throws, and then Whitmore made a layup, and the Rockets led by 16 points, James hit 1 of 2 free throws, Smith and Jalen Green hit 2 three-pointers in a row, and the difference came to 21 points, Prince scored three points and thick eyebrows dunked in a row, Tate and Shen Jing responded, and the difference was 18 points, James and thick eyebrows chased the difference to 13 points, Dillon hit 2 three-pointers in a row, and the Rockets led 78-60 at halftime. The Rockets scored 78 points in the half, a team-record for the season.
Jalen Green had 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 7-of-13 shooting, Shin Jing had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists on 6-of-10 shooting, and Whitmore had 16 points and four boards on 6-of-10 shooting. Smith had 10 points and three boards, and Dillon had 10 points and one board. For the Lakers, Bush had 18 points and 4 boards on 8-of-14 shooting, Russell had 15 points and 4 assists on 5-of-8 shooting, and James had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists on 5-of-7 shooting.
In the third quarter of the game, Shen Jing, Jalen Green, and Dillon started 7-0, the Rockets led by 25 points, James made 2 free throws and 1 hit, Jalen Green and Tate scored 5 points in a row, and the difference came to 29 points, Russell scored three points, Shen Jing and Smith responded, with a difference of 30 points, James, Russell, Prince, Christie, and Hachimura chased the difference to 20 points, Shen Jing and Jalen Green expanded the difference to 25 points, Russell made free throws, and the Rockets led 108-84 in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter of the game, Hachimura and Hayes scored 5 points in a row, with a difference of 19 points, Jalen Green, Shen Jing, and Dillon expanded the difference to 25 points, Hachimura, James, Hayes, and Reaves chased the difference to 17 points, Dillon scored three points, Hachimura, Hayas, and James chased the difference to 10 points, and the suspense of the game returned, Jalen Green scored in a row, Smith shot, and the difference expanded to 18 points, with 2 minutes left in the game, the Lakers withdrew the main force, Hayes and Wood chased the difference to 13 points, Shen Jing, Whitmore, Jalen Green responded with a 19-point margin and Christie with three points, and the game ended as the Rockets beat the Lakers 135-119.
Jalen Green had 34 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists on 12-of-23 shooting, setting a career record for rebounds, Shin Jing had 31 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists on 14-of-24 shooting, Whitmore had 20 points and 6 boards on 7-of-12 shooting, Smith had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, Dillon had 17 points and 3 boards, and VanVleet had 3 points and 14 assists, a game-high number of assists.
James had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists on 9-of-15 shooting, Bush had 23 points and 7 boards on 10-of-20 shooting, Russell had 23 points, 1 board and 5 assists on 8-of-19 shooting, Hachimura had 16 points and 5 boards, and Reaves had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Lakers are still ranked 9th in the West after losing, because the Jazz also lost today, the Jazz are ranked 10th, and although the Rockets are still ranked 11th after winning, they have narrowed the gap with the Lakers, and the difference between wins is only 1 game, and the ranking of the play-off zone is going to be messed up again.