HOUSTON —
The blowout seemed assured, but the Lakers were not going to just let the Houston Rockets roll all over them without having a say, and LeBron James was not going to let nemesis Dillion Brooks talk some trash without saying something back.
The Lakers fell behind by 30 points when coach Darvin Ham called a timeout with seven minutes and 34 seconds left, his team looking ragged, but starters James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince and D’Angelo Russell all returned to the game anyway.
No, these Lakers would not quit that easily, especially after Brooks was called for a flagrant foul one for smacking James in the eye in the fourth quarter of a game turning chippy and competitive.