{"id":472230,"date":"2025-12-26T06:10:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T06:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/472230\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T06:10:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T06:10:34","slug":"rockets-vs-lakers-score-highlights-from-nba-game-in-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/472230\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets vs Lakers score, highlights from NBA game in Los Angeles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766729434_794_87889551007-usatsi-22657159.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>NBA Christmas Day preview<\/p>\n<p>From Thunder\u2013Spurs to Wolves\u2013Nuggets and Knicks\u2013Cavs, which NBA Christmas Day matchup are you most looking forward to?<\/p>\n<p>Christmas was not kind to the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/teams\/los-angeles-lakers\/13\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>, who dropped their third game in a row after the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/teams\/houston-rockets\/10\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Houston Rockets<\/a> scored 119-96 road victory.<\/p>\n<p>Third-year pro <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/players\/amen-thompson\/1429337\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amen Thompson<\/a> led the way for Houston with 26 points. <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/players\/kevin-durant\/329525\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kevin Durant<\/a> was right behind him with 25. All three of the Rockets&#8217; other starters also scored in double figures as the team shot 53% from the field.<\/p>\n<p>Houston dominated the boards, outrebounding the Lakers 48-25.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers shot 51% themselves and were better from 3 but found themselves playing from behind all night as Houston jumped out to a 37-25 lead after one quarter. Their comeback efforts weren&#8217;t helped by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/lakers\/2025\/12\/25\/austin-reaves-injury-update-rockets-lakers\/87916208007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Austin Reaves exiting with &#8220;left calf soreness.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/players\/luka-doncic\/1121277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Luka Doncic<\/a> was Los Angeles&#8217; leading scorer with 25 points. <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/players\/lebron-james\/214152\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LeBron James<\/a> had 18 points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">NBA ON CHRISTMAS: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/2025\/12\/24\/how-to-watch-christmas-nba-games-schedule-tv-stream\/87887050007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Results from all five games on Dec. 25<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>With Austin Reaves out, the Lakers are struggling to keep pace with Houston&#8217;s high-octane offense. The Rockets have extended their 12-point halftime lead to 18 points.<\/p>\n<p>Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant have combined for 43 points.<\/p>\n<p>Reaves has officially been ruled out of the remainder of Thursday night&#8217;s game against the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/teams\/houston-rockets\/10\/\" data-autotag=\"13a51ca7-e216-40c0-a272-58d18f5541d7\" rel=\"noopener\">Houston Rockets<\/a> with left calf soreness. Reaves finished the night with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He played 15 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Reaves returned from a three-game absence to help the Lakers play the Suns on Tuesday, Dec. 23 after dealing with a calf injury.<\/p>\n<p>Houston Rockets<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Field Goals:<\/strong> 25\/43 (58.1%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>3-pointers:<\/strong> 5\/10 (50%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rebounds:<\/strong> 22<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blocks:<\/strong> 1<\/li>\n<li><strong>Turnovers:<\/strong> 8<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Field Goals:<\/strong> 20\/38 (52.6%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>3-pointers:<\/strong> 6\/19 (31.6%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rebounds:<\/strong> 15<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blocks:<\/strong> 2<\/li>\n<li><strong>Turnovers:<\/strong> 10<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Rockets and Lakers were locked in a dead heat after the first quarter, now after 24, Los Angeles has gained two points on their Texas foes.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the Lakers&#8217; scoring in the second quarter came from Luka Doncic, who tallied just four points in the first, but now leads the Lakers in scoring with 15 after 24 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Still, despite the burst from the Slovenian, both Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant have scored more, leading the game with 16 points apiece for Houston.<\/p>\n<p>A Jared Vanderbilt 3-pointer has Los Angeles within four points, trailing 48-44.<\/p>\n<p>After falling behind big early, it seemed like the Lakers would get blown out, slowly watching their deficit grow against a deeper Houston squad. However, Los Angeles has hit a stretch of stellar shooting, allowing it to claw back even as it struggles on the glass. Houston still leads, but L.A. isn&#8217;t going down easy.<\/p>\n<p>After a very slow start, the Lakers started to find their footing, but it wasn&#8217;t enough to catch the Rockets. The Lakers have long been considered a team with a strong offense, but a weak defense, and that was on full display in the first quarter. Houston is shooting a stellar 62.5% from the field thus far, including 4\/7 from three-point range.<\/p>\n<p>Less than halfway through the first quarter, the Rockets have burst out to a 10-point lead. Shockingly, it hasn&#8217;t been just one Rocket with the hot hand, though. No, the Rockets have been a textbook definition of team basketball with each of their starters already tallying a bucket. Houston leads 18-8.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/teams\/los-angeles-lakers\/13\/\" data-autotag=\"4d34a300-3059-4ec4-a4d3-4d636ac95816\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> will start LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, and Deandre Ayton. The Lakers have a 4-2 record this season with this starting lineup.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lineup alert: Rockets will start Thompson, Eason, Durant, Smith Jr., Sengun on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UnderdogNBA\/status\/2004335194615246886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">December 25, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Houston Rockets will start Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun against the Lakers.<\/p>\n<p>This is the first game of the season the Rockets will play with this starting lineup.<\/p>\n<p>Both Jaxson Hayes and Gabe Vincent will be out for Thursday&#8217;s game. Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura are both labeled as questionable for the showdown.<\/p>\n<p>Doncic is dealing with a leg issue. He missed the Lakers&#8217; last game against the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/teams\/phoenix-suns\/21\/\" data-autotag=\"5b1d8499-f4c6-4857-a8e9-6d2e8a35bac3\" rel=\"noopener\">Phoenix Suns<\/a>. Hachimura, meanwhile, has a groin injury, and also missed the game against Phoenix due to the injury as well as the game prior on Dec. 20 against the Clippers.<\/p>\n<p>The Rockets have two questionable players for tonight&#8217;s game against the Los Angeles Lakers \u2014 center Alperen Sengun and forward Jae&#8217;Sean Tate.<\/p>\n<p>Sengun is dealing with left calf tightness. He has not missed a game since Houston&#8217;s loss to the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/teams\/dallas-mavericks\/6\/\" data-autotag=\"e6751d65-4a81-4131-973c-176d23467b30\" rel=\"noopener\">Dallas Mavericks<\/a> on Dec. 6.<\/p>\n<p>Tate, meanwhile, is struggling with a bruise on his left wrist. Tate participated in the Rockets&#8217; most recent game, playing nearly 14 minutes in Houston&#8217;s loss to the Clippers. However, he has missed four of the Rockets&#8217; last six games.<\/p>\n<p>What time is Rockets vs. Lakers Christmas game today?<\/p>\n<p>The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets in one of five NBA on Christmas games on Thursday, Dec. 25 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). The game will take place at Crypto.com in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/tv\/?irad=343747&amp;irmp=1205322&amp;subId1=USAT&amp;subId2=NBA&amp;subId3=2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noreferrer noopener\">Watch NBA Christmas games with Fubo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>How to watch Rockets vs. Lakers NBA Christmas game: TV, live streaming<\/p>\n<p>The game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets will be broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN and can be live streamed via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/tv\/?irad=343747&amp;irmp=1205322&amp;subId1=USAT&amp;subId2=NBA&amp;subId3=2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fubo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Dec. 25, 2025<\/li>\n<li><strong>Time<\/strong>: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Crypto.com (Los Angeles, California)<\/li>\n<li><strong>TV<\/strong>: ABC, ESPN<\/li>\n<li><strong>Streaming<\/strong>: ESPN Unlimited, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/tv\/?irad=343747&amp;irmp=1205322&amp;subId1=USAT&amp;subId2=NBA&amp;subId3=2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fubo<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Rockets vs. Lakers odds<\/p>\n<p>The Houston Rockets are favored to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, according to DraftKings odds as of Dec. 24.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Line:<\/strong> Rockets -2.5<\/li>\n<li><strong>Over\/under:<\/strong> 230.5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBA Christmas Day preview From Thunder\u2013Spurs to Wolves\u2013Nuggets and Knicks\u2013Cavs, which NBA Christmas Day matchup are you most&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":472231,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[647,8594,8611,8602,8435,931,4231,648,359,17378,1339,17530,18419,276,128691,44679,7197,3772,17528,17533,3189,1596,3139,17532,8587,171,5723,7235,2879,74235,67077,9401,189889,24744,11090,85397,7709,19820,4345,3136,11652,59,8590,8609,214243,214244,8601,11245,6271,8591,8606,8604,8600,3363,4550,425,666,4230,224,3142,3141,40848,6650,644,663,1571,5382,1260,451,942,635,3122,50,4549,4553,17529,450,457,950,1457,1589,1721,1451,189887,5565,189888,25927,99667,15776,19817,8595,4157,1926,15779,62,17534,1458,15777,645,7231,8586,8607,50281,358,8603,639,19707,3187,646,989,35917,17531,636],"class_list":{"0":"post-472230","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-affiliate","9":"tag-alperen","10":"tag-alperen-sengun","11":"tag-amen","12":"tag-amen-thompson","13":"tag-and","14":"tag-angeles","15":"tag-arts","16":"tag-austin","17":"tag-austin-reaves","18":"tag-basketball","19":"tag-betting","20":"tag-blog","21":"tag-california","22":"tag-california-gold-rush","23":"tag-christmas","24":"tag-clippers","25":"tag-commerce","26":"tag-contains","27":"tag-contains-commerce-or-affiliate-content","28":"tag-content","29":"tag-dallas","30":"tag-dallas-mavericks","31":"tag-disclaimer","32":"tag-eason","33":"tag-entertainment","34":"tag-espn","35":"tag-espn-inc","36":"tag-events","37":"tag-gabe","38":"tag-gabe-vincent","39":"tag-gold","40":"tag-hachimura","41":"tag-hayes","42":"tag-holiday","43":"tag-holiday-marketplace-hub","44":"tag-holidays","45":"tag-holidays-u0026-seasonal-events","46":"tag-houston","47":"tag-houston-rockets","48":"tag-hub","49":"tag-inc","50":"tag-jabari","51":"tag-jabari-smith-jr","52":"tag-jaesean","53":"tag-jaesean-tate","54":"tag-james","55":"tag-jaxson","56":"tag-jaxson-hayes","57":"tag-jr","58":"tag-knicks","59":"tag-lakers","60":"tag-lebron","61":"tag-lebron-james","62":"tag-live","63":"tag-local","64":"tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","65":"tag-los","66":"tag-los-angeles","67":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","68":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","69":"tag-marketplace","70":"tag-mavericks","71":"tag-modular","72":"tag-modular-story","73":"tag-national","74":"tag-national-sports","75":"tag-nba","76":"tag-negative","77":"tag-neutral","78":"tag-new","79":"tag-new-york-knicks","80":"tag-news","81":"tag-online","82":"tag-online-video","83":"tag-or","84":"tag-overall","85":"tag-overall-negative","86":"tag-overall-neutral","87":"tag-overall-positive","88":"tag-phoenix","89":"tag-phoenix-suns","90":"tag-positive","91":"tag-reaves","92":"tag-rockets","93":"tag-rui","94":"tag-rui-hachimura","95":"tag-rush","96":"tag-scores","97":"tag-seasonal","98":"tag-sengun","99":"tag-smith","100":"tag-sport","101":"tag-sport-scores-u0026-statistics","102":"tag-sports","103":"tag-sports-betting-widget-and-disclaimer","104":"tag-sports-news","105":"tag-statistics","106":"tag-story","107":"tag-suns","108":"tag-tari","109":"tag-tari-eason","110":"tag-tate","111":"tag-texas","112":"tag-thompson","113":"tag-ttp","114":"tag-ttp-live-blog","115":"tag-tx","116":"tag-u0026","117":"tag-video","118":"tag-vincent","119":"tag-widget","120":"tag-york"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation 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