Los Angeles (AFP) – Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points as a reserve and Russell Westbrook added 20 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Anthony Davis scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds, and LeBron James scored 15 points in the Lakers’ fourth win in five games, after starting the season with two losses.
Eric Gordon scored 17 points and Christian Wood added 16 points for the Rockets, who lost their fourth game in a row at the start of their five-game wilderness campaign.
Anthony played another dynamic game in his first season with Los Angeles, scoring five three-pointers and equaling a career high with four restricted shots. The 19-year-old NBA veteran, who has led the Lakers in scoring twice this season, has had at least four blocks and two steals in a game for the first time since December 2, 2003.
James was 6 of 19 in his second game after losing his right ankle, though he added eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Houston Ice Green player, seeded second in this year’s draft, finished with just seven points after finding himself in trouble. The Rockets, who are rebuilding, were down 24 points in the first half and 28 in the fourth, before a late comeback to close the gap.
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