HOUSTON — The Los Angeles Lakers leaned on defense late Monday and it threw the Houston Rockets' offense out of sync, leaving Kevin Durant to shoulder much of the blame after a 100-92 Lakers victory at the Toyota Center.
Los Angeles sent extra defenders at Durant in the fourth quarter, cutting off his comfort and forcing Houston into mistakes. Durant finished with 18 points (8-of-16) but managed only two points in the second half, going 1-of-5 in that period and committing seven of Houston’s 24 turnovers.
“I just felt like I lost the game for us tonight,” Durant said after the loss. He said the repeated doubles made the Rockets’ offense stagnant and left him trying to find ways to free himself and create for teammates. Durant suggested he needs to be smarter with the ball, to spot up or act as a screener more often and not try to carry the offense single-handedly when opponents are collapsing on him.
The win extended the Lakers’ streak to six games and moved them to 43-25, increasing their lead over Houston (41-26) to 1½ games in the battle for the West’s No. 3 seed. The teams meet again in Houston on Wednesday; the Rockets still sit narrowly ahead of Denver and Minnesota in the
