[April 09, 2014]LOS ANGELES — One night after his
Kentucky Wildcats lost the national championship, Terrence Jones took
out some frustrations on the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Houston forward and former Wildcats star and guard James
Harden scored 33 points apiece, leading the Rockets to a 145-130
victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
"I just wanted to be aggressive and try to use my versatility to
score in various ways," said Jones, who had 23 points in the first
half and converted 13 of 18 shots from the floor before leaving the
game for good late in the third quarter with a cramp in his left
leg.
"Just wanting to be aggressive and get fouled or get a layup. I just
wanted to get to the basket and not try to settle."
The performances of Jones and Harden almost overshadowed Lakers
point guard Steve Nash climbing to No. 3 on the career assists list.
Nash passed Mark Jackson for third in all-time assists, connecting
with guard Jodie Meeks on a dunk with 2:13 left in the second
quarter.
Nash, who received a standing ovation, finished the night with
10,335 assists overall, leaving him behind John Stockton (15,806)
and Jason Kidd (12,091).
"It's incredible to be sharing that part of the assist ladder with
some players I really looked up to and tried to emulate," said Nash,
who had five assists and three points in 13 minutes, but didn't play
in the second half after aggravating a hamstring and is probably
done for the season. "It's a fantastic feeling to be in that rare
air, and I owe a lot to all the teammates and coaches that helped me
get there."
The Rockets (52-25), who prevailed again without injured center
Dwight Howard, won their third in a row and remained 2 1/2 games
ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 4 spot in the
Western Conference playoff race. Houston is 2 1/2 games back of the
Los Angeles Clippers for the third seed.
"Offensively, we kind of got it going to make up for the lack of
defense," said Harden, who hit 10 of 15 attempts from the field and
three of six from behind the 3-point arc in three quarters. He also
had 12 assists. "It was too many points for them. Tonight was a
tough game, a weird game. We had four guards basically on the court,
but overall defensively I think we've been playing pretty well."
The Lakers (25-53) dropped their fifth consecutive game and equaled
the franchise record for losses in a season. The 1957-58 Minneapolis
Lakers finished 19-53.
"Obviously, they're not at full strength. They didn't have many shot
blockers in there, so we definitely wanted to attack the rim and
just keep moving the ball, space the floor and play unselfish, and
we got off to a good start," said Houston forward Chandler Parsons,
who finished with 19 points and eight assists.
Center Omer Asik finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Reserve
center Donatas Motiejunas had 13 points and 15 rebounds, while guard
Isaiah Canaan scored 15.
Houston led 66-61 at the half before blowing the game open in the
third quarter. A 17-3 spurt gave the Rockets a 101-76 advantage.
Houston outscored Los Angeles 49-24 in the period, with Harden and
Jones combining for 28 points.
"We knew they would come out and make a run, but it was hard to
withstand it," said Lakers guard Jodie Meeks, who finished with 30
points.
The Rockets outscored the Lakers 80-46 on points in the paint.
Los Angeles guard Nick Young came off the bench to score 32 points,
hitting six 3-pointers, and forward Ryan Kelly added 18 points.
NOTES: Houston coach Kevin McHale left open the possibility that C
Dwight Howard could return when the Rockets visit the Denver Nuggets
on Wednesday. Howard missed the past nine games due to a left ankle
sprain. "I think he's getting better," McHale said. "Tomorrow night
we will see." ... McHale didn't know when G Patrick Beverley would
return, but he ruled Beverley out of the Denver game. Beverly sat
out the past six games with a right knee sprain. ... The Rockets
scored 24 of their 35 first-quarter points in the paint. The Lakers
managed six inside points in the period. ... Lakers F/C Chris Kaman
missed his fourth game with a strained right calf. ... After the
Denver game, Houston travels to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves
on Friday. ... Los Angeles hosts the Golden State Warriors on Friday
before playing its final home game Sunday against the Memphis
Grizzlies.
The Houston forward and former Wildcats star and guard James
Harden scored 33 points apiece, leading the Rockets to a 145-130
victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
