{"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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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 nofollow 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=\"nofollow 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=\"nofollow 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\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">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=\"nofollow 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=\"nofollow 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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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 nofollow\">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":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"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":["post-472230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-affiliate","tag-alperen","tag-alperen-sengun","tag-amen","tag-amen-thompson","tag-and","tag-angeles","tag-arts","tag-austin","tag-austin-reaves","tag-basketball","tag-betting","tag-blog","tag-california","tag-california-gold-rush","tag-christmas","tag-clippers","tag-commerce","tag-contains","tag-contains-commerce-or-affiliate-content","tag-content","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-disclaimer","tag-eason","tag-entertainment","tag-espn","tag-espn-inc","tag-events","tag-gabe","tag-gabe-vincent","tag-gold","tag-hachimura","tag-hayes","tag-holiday","tag-holiday-marketplace-hub","tag-holidays","tag-holidays-u0026-seasonal-events","tag-houston","tag-houston-rockets","tag-hub","tag-inc","tag-jabari","tag-jabari-smith-jr","tag-jaesean","tag-jaesean-tate","tag-james","tag-jaxson","tag-jaxson-hayes","tag-jr","tag-knicks","tag-lakers","tag-lebron","tag-lebron-james","tag-live","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-los","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-clippers","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-marketplace","tag-mavericks","tag-modular","tag-modular-story","tag-national","tag-national-sports","tag-nba","tag-negative","tag-neutral","tag-new","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-news","tag-online","tag-online-video","tag-or","tag-overall","tag-overall-negative","tag-overall-neutral","tag-overall-positive","tag-phoenix","tag-phoenix-suns","tag-positive","tag-reaves","tag-rockets","tag-rui","tag-rui-hachimura","tag-rush","tag-scores","tag-seasonal","tag-sengun","tag-smith","tag-sport","tag-sport-scores-u0026-statistics","tag-sports","tag-sports-betting-widget-and-disclaimer","tag-sports-news","tag-statistics","tag-story","tag-suns","tag-tari","tag-tari-eason","tag-tate","tag-texas","tag-thompson","tag-ttp","tag-ttp-live-blog","tag-tx","tag-u0026","tag-video","tag-vincent","tag-widget","tag-york"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation 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