LeBron sets playoff wins mark as Lakers down Rockets

[September 09, 2020]  LeBron James scored a team-high 36 points and became the all-time leader in NBA postseason wins as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 112-102 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday near Orlando.

The Lakers will take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.

Los Angeles' Anthony Davis added 26 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo keyed a fourth-quarter run after the teams entered the final period tied.

James earned his 162nd career playoff victory, topping the mark set by Derek Fisher.

"It says that I've played with a lot of great teams," James said postgame on TNT. "It says that I've played with a lot of great teammates and some great coaches, in Cleveland, in Miami and now here in Los Angeles. ...

"It doesn't happen without the supporting cast. It's why I'm able to sit here with this achievement, but it's all about the three organizations I've been with, the Cavs, the Heat and now the Lakers, because without them, I wouldn't be in this position."

James scored 29 points in the first half, his season high for any half, to keep the Lakers afloat before dominating the action with four blocks in the third quarter. Rondo, meanwhile, led the charge early in the fourth period by scoring the last eight points during a 10-0 run that produced a 94-85 advantage.

Rondo finished with 21 points and nine assists in 30 minutes off the bench. The Lakers survived 15 ties and 16 lead changes by controlling the final period for a second consecutive game, posting a 30-20 edge in the last 12 minutes.

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the first half of game three in the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

James Harden paced the Rockets with 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while Russell Westbrook rebounded from a rocky Game 2 with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists. But the Rockets were without reserve forward Danuel House Jr. (personal reasons), and the Lakers finished with a 42-16 advantage in bench points.

James scored just two points in the third quarter, but he blocked shots by Eric Gordon (twice), Harden and Austin Rivers, the latter just prior to the period's final buzzer, setting a defensive tone. Davis shouldered the scoring load after James cooled and before Rondo caught fire.

Westbrook got off to a scorching start with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the first quarter as the Rockets hit 13 of 19 shots to take a 33-32 lead into the second quarter.

James scored in every way imaginable for the Lakers, but Houston parlayed 10 Lakers turnovers into 12 points in the half, and combined with their 32 points in the paint, fashioned a 64-61 lead by the intermission.

The Lakers ultimately finished with a 56-46 advantage on paint points and outrebounded the Rockets 43-30 while shooting a robust 55.1 percent from the floor. Houston sank 46.9 percent of its field-goal attempts.

--Field Level Media

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