For a couple minutes on Saturday, the Lakers looked like they could be in a spot of trouble against the visiting Houston Rockets.

The visitors were red hot early and the Lakers couldn't throw a ball into the ocean off the side of a boat. But then the Rockets cooled off, and the Lakers used a spectacular 35-14 second quarter to take control of the game and they never gave it back. And on a night where the Lakers got some reinforcements (Rui Hachimura was said to be available, but ultimately didn't play and Jared Vanderbilt made his season debut) in the end those guys weren't really needed.

For starters, Anthony Davis was a monster, showing tremendous activity on the glass and defending the rim. LeBron wasn't asked to do much, but did provide a highlight that set social media on fire with a 360 layup just before halftime. D'Angelo Russell was confident offensively (seven dimes, no turnovers), and about as disruptive as he gets on the other end (five steals). Austin Reaves missed his first three shots, then went bananas, making six of his next eight - he finished with 18 points and three steals.

How balanced was the effort?

Of the six Lakers who logged 15 or more minutes, only Russell (9 points) didn't reach double digits.

A rock solid game for the Lakers ahead of the tourney matchup with Phoenix on Tuesday.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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