Jalen Green Leads Rockets to Victory Over LeBron James and Lakers

Jalen Green's near triple-double led the Houston Rockets to a 135-119 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets proved once again why they are a better team on their home floor than on the road. After a two-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets Saturday night, the Rockets had one of their best outings of the season in a 135-119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the win, the Rockets ended their four-game regular-season series with a 2-2 record against the Lakers. They also improved their record to 17-8 inside the Toyota Center.

Jalen Green set an early tone for the Rockets by scoring his first two baskets, which gave Houston an early 4-0 lead. He ended the first quarter with 13 points, which led to a 42-31 lead entering the second period. He finished the game with 34 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. 

By the end of the first half, Green had led the Rockets to a 78-60 halftime lead, which marked the most points Houston scored in a half all season.

But as great as Green played, the third-year guard did not have to embark on a solo act. Alperen Şengün continued his All-Star bid by adding 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Dillon Brooks scored 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting.

The Rockets built their lead up to 30 points, but the Lakers refused to throw in the towel. They outscored the Rockets 35-27 during the fourth quarter but fell short of a comeback attempt. They cut their double-digit deficit down to 10 (121-111) with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 23 points, respectively. James also added 10 assists and six rebounds in the loss.

Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots the ball as Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Created:

Cam Whitmore continues to impress:

Cam Whitmore stated during shootaround that he wasn't backing down from LeBron James in their first initial meeting. Whitmore stayed true to his word and had an impressive performance in his young career. 

Whitmore came off the bench and added 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He scored a dozen in less than four minutes during the first quarter, highlighted by three dunk attempts. One of Whitmore's dunks came as the buzzer sounded to end the period.

Jalen Green is starting to become an all-around player:

Coach Ime Udoka has always raved about Jalen Green's scoring. But when he became coach of the Rockets, Udoka challenged Green to become a more all-around player.

It took Green time to get adjusted to Udoka's desires. However, his play against the Lakers showcased how Green is developing into an all-around player.

Green had his third consecutive game of recording 10 or more rebounds. By pulling down a career-best 12 against the Lakers, Green is averaging 10.6 boards over the last three games. 

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Jabari Smith Jr. returns from an ankle injury:

Jabari Smith Jr. returned to the lineup Monday night after missing the previous four games due to an ankle injury. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes of play.