JORDAN Clarkson came up big off the bench as he led the young Los Angeles Lakers to a gutsy win over the Houston Rockets, 120-114, at the Staples Center on Wednesday (Tursday, Manila time), its first victory in the post-Kobe Bryant era.
The Filipino-American guard scored 25 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, as the scrappy Lakers managed to take the lead in the middle of the final period after trailing for most of the game.
D’Angelo Russell had 20 points and three assists while forward Julius Randle had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who also gave new coach Luke Walton a winning season debut. Free agent acquisition Timofey Mozgov added 12 markers and eight rebounds. No.2 overall pick Brandon Ingram had nine points and three rebounds.
Playing the point guard position for the Rockets, James Harden recorded 34 points to go along with 17 assists. Backcourt mate Eric Gordon added 19 points while center Clint Capella finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
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