Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the first half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers forward LeBron James shoots as Houston Rockets forward David Nwaba, middle, defends during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Houston Rockets guard Armoni Brooks and Lakers guard Malik Monk pursue a loose ball during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers guard Malik Monk dunks next to the Houston Rockets’ Christian Wood during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Houston Rockets guard Josh Christopher, left, gets control of the ball next to Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers forward LeBron James talks to teammates during the first half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers forward LeBron James, right, shoots as Houston Rockets center Christian Wood defends during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
The Rockets’ Eric Gordon drives between the Lakers’ Stanley Johnson, center, and LeBron James on his way to the basket during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Stanley Johnson reacts to an official’s call during the first half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Stanley Johnson reacts to an official’s call during the first half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Rockets’ Josh Christopher dunks during the first half of their game against the Lakers on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Carmelo Anthony blocks a Rockets shot during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Rockets’ Armoni Brooks handles the ball as the Lakers’ LeBron James defends during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Carmelo Anthony smiles after making a 3-point basket during the first half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Rockets’ Jalen Green dunks during the first half of their game against the Lakers on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James controls the ball as the Rockets’ Christian Wood defends during the first half on Tuesday night in Houston. James had 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and took control late to help the Lakers (17-18) snap their season-worst losing streak with a 132-123 win. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to a play during the first half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Houston Rockets guard Josh Christopher drives to the basket as Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony defends during the second half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers assistant coach David Fizdale yells instructions to his players during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook calls a play during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green drives to the basket past Lakers forward LeBron James during the second half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
The Lakers’ Stanley Johnson is fouled by the Rockets’ Christian Wood during the second half on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Lakers forward LeBron James reacts after blocking a shot by Houston Rockets forward David Nwaba during the second half on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers forward LeBron James celebrates a basket with Malik Monk during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
The Lakers’ LeBron James defends against the Rockets’ Christian Wood during the second half on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr., right, talks with Jalen Green during the second half of their game against the Lakers on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James shoots as the Rockets’ David Nwaba defends during the second half on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to a basket during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook drives to the basket during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook reacts after making a 3-point basket during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
The Lakers’ Carmelo Anthony take a 3-point shot during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Carmelo Anthony celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James tries to block a shot by the Rockets’ Jalen Green during the second half on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to a call during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to an official’s call during the second half of their game against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Even 19 years in, LeBron James still has a few new roads to travel in basketball.
It might seem incredible for as many minutes as he’s logged, but the 36-year-old, four-time MVP has never started at center. Growing up, he was always the lanky kid with a good, solid handle and an eye for finding his teammates with passes.
“I was never the biggest guy,” James said. “I’ve always played the wing or kind of handled the ball.”
But to end a five-game losing streak, the Lakers trotted out an ultra-small lineup with James in the middle, a decision stamped by interim coach David Fizdale who called it “a gamble” based on how well those groups have played. The 6-foot-9 James assembled a dominating 32-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist night while still showcasing the same control in crunch-time that he has throughout his career.
A 132-123 victory over the Houston Rockets, one of the Western Conference’s struggling teams, might not look like much on paper, but in context, the Lakers (17-18) needed it – and James and Russell Westbrook played with matching urgency, both notching triple-doubles on a night when defense was largely set aside.
It was James’ fifth consecutive 30-point game, a run that until Tuesday was largely in futility. The Christmas Day loss to the similarly short-handed Brooklyn Nets drove Fizdale to say he was kicking himself in the head that his efforts were going to waste in losses. After finally getting back in the win column – his first victory since taking over for Coach Frank Vogel, who remains in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols – Fizdale felt moved to remark to the locker room how special James’ recent run is.
“They kind of laughed at first like it was no big deal, but I’m like, ‘I don’t think you guys realize what this guy just did,’” said Fizdale, who has exalted James’ leadership throughout the Lakers’ grim recent stretch. “My gosh, this guy is unbelievable. I can’t help it, man.”
James helped swing the last few minutes with a twirl of his finger. When the Lakers led by a point with just 2:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, Jalen Green threw up an off-target layup with James careening in for an attempted block. It was whistled a goaltend, but James insisted that the play should be challenged.
Upon review, officials changed the call because even though James had touched the rim, it hadn’t affected the trajectory of the shot which never struck iron. James subsequently competed for a jump ball at center court, helping the Lakers gain a possession that resulted in a 3-pointer by Carmelo Anthony.
From there, the Lakers left the Rockets in their rearview: James hit two free throws, threw down a dunk, then added a clinching layup on a feed from Westbrook with 52 seconds left. The Lakers wound up outscoring their hosts 15-7 in the final 2:38.
James said later he prides himself on operating at any position, even at center, where the Lakers have increasingly turned to him while All-Star Anthony Davis (left knee sprain) remains sidelined.
“I don’t have to score the ball to be effective out on the floor,” James said. “I know how to get my teammates open. I know how to read defenses. I know everything that our offense needs in order for us to be successful. And in a make-or-miss league, sometimes when you don’t have it going offensively, you have to be able to still make an impact. So, I can do that just off my mind alone.”
Luckily for the Lakers, they didn’t have to choose – and Westbrook joined him in the offensive blitz.
Westbrook bounced back in a big way from a 4-for-20 performance on Christmas that led to an avalanche of fresh scrutiny regarding his Los Angeles tenure. He finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists – including both on James’ last two baskets.
While Westbrook finished 10 for 17 from the field, there were some unsightly bobbles, including a second-quarter dribble out of bounds (one of seven turnovers), a jump shot that hit the top of the backboard, and a dunk that bounced high off the back iron of the rim. But his crunch-time execution is what the Lakers have been looking for, especially with Davis out for a month or more.
“We’ve been able to kind of create some chemistry on things we like to see when defenses are trying to guard both of us together,” Westbrook said. “People don’t really want to switch, it gives us a good advantage. And it’s my job to be able to make sure I put the ball in position to make it easy for ’Bron to do what he’s able to do, and that’s finish around the basket.”
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It was not just a two-man effort. The Lakers got big scoring nights from pinch-starter Malik Monk (25 points, including a rim-rocking dunk) and Anthony (24 points, including four 3-pointers). Making his first appearance since his return from the protocols, veteran guard Avery Bradley (14 points) made a surprising two-way impact back in the starting lineup.
The Lakers led most of the night, but Houston kept it close, only once ever ceding a double-digit lead. Seven Rockets scored in double figures, led by Green (24 points).
Fizdale said the Lakers’ traditional centers, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, remained engaged and ready in case they had to be called upon. They might play in upcoming games based on matchups. But maybe the way James is playing, they won’t have to. The Lakers play in Memphis on Wednesday night.
“I know the results haven’t been coming back the way we want them to right now, but the way he’s going about this thing and the way he’s playing, he can’t help but to galvanize us and really get this team to go in the right direction,” Fizdale said of James. “And I just really feel like, as we start to get healthy, his energy and will and leadership and his poise will be the thing that really pushes us forward.”
