LeBron James and Rajon Rondo each missed their 13th straight game. Lonzo Ball was injured in the middle of a strong performance. Luke Walton was ejected shortly after.
Yet despite missing their superstar, top two point guards and head coach, the Lakers battled back-and-forth with reigning MVP James Harden’s Rockets. In fact, L.A. had the victory in its grasp before a last-second 3-pointer forced overtime, where Houston squeezed its way to a 138-134 win.
“I loved the way our guys competed,” Walton said. “They gave us everything they had, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Earlier in the day Walton joked that keeping Harden to fewer than 50 points would be a defensive success.