Jan 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham reacts during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers’ terrible performance in Houston this season continued as they were dominated by the Rockets in Game 2 of their Grammy road trip. By the end of the game, however, much of the discussion will revolve around head coach Darvin Ham’s decision to play LeBron James in the fourth quarter while Anthony Davis remained on the bench for the final 12 minutes .
The Lakers entered the fourth quarter trailing by 24 points and, to the surprise of many, Ham decided to bring James back into the game and he stayed with it until just over two remained minutes.
Meanwhile, Davis missed the entire fourth, although the Lakers ran back and cut the lead to 10.
Afterward, Ham spoke about his rotation decision, noting that it was difficult to decide whether he had to rest or play his two stars during this sequence. “It’s a combination of both. You find a group that plays well. I had a few timeouts to play with and wanted to see how far we could go.
They made a series of plays at the end of that sequence that all but assured them of the win. Then on top of that the knowledge that [Anthony Davis] is dealing with some physical issues, so be very careful and careful, as a precaution, putting that out there.
