National Basketball Association

Los Angeles Lakers look like dangerous team in Halloween win over Houston Rockets

Updated Nov. 1, 2021 4:48 p.m. ET

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James dressed up as Freddy Krueger for Halloween on Saturday, donning makeup and a gloved hand with razors to imitate the serial killer from a "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

Then on the actual Halloween night, he did something much scarier.

At age 36, James sprinted down court early in the second quarter, after Rockets center Alperen Sengun fumbled the ball. DeAndre Jordan saw James streaking, hit him with a long pass and watched as LeBron converted a two-handed, reverse slam dunk, elevating to heights that should be reserved for guys a decade younger.

In the Lakers' 95-85 victory over Houston on Sunday, the team had fun, something that was sorely missing in L.A.'s turbulent start to the 2021-22 season.

There were moments Sunday when James channeled his younger self. Russell Westbrook played in rhythm. Carmelo Anthony was blazingly hot. Anthony Davis patrolled the boards. Perhaps most importantly, everyone played defense.

It was refreshing after the team's first six games, which included Westbrook being so dejected following his debut that he could barely string together multiple sentences in his postgame media conference, Davis and Dwight Howard getting into an altercation on the bench during a game against Phoenix and the Lakers blowing a 26-point lead against Oklahoma City.

On Sunday, the Lakers looked like the Lakers.

"When they do the little things and the other team is struggling to score, the ball’s flying all over the place, and we’re getting out in transition, that’s Laker basketball," coach Frank Vogel said. "And that’s when we’re gonna have the most fun."

For the Lakers, it all starts on the defensive end. Last season, they had the top-rated defense in the league. Entering Sunday's game, they ranked 27th.

Rockets' coach Stephen Silas, however, knew not to trust that number.

"I'm deathly afraid of their defense," Silas said before the game. "They're so big and long and experienced and can cover for each other. When you have that size, when you have DJ and Dwight and then you have LeBron and AD and then Russ, it's hard not to be a really disruptive defensive team."

The Lakers made Silas' words seem prophetic. They held the Rockets to 30% shooting in the first half, leading by as many as 24 points. For the game, the Lakers forced 27 turnovers on which they scored 32 points.

"Our defensive communication was very on point tonight, which helped us in a lot of our coverages where you can have some struggles," said Davis, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The Lakers' defense was a group effort Sunday — and it came from some unexpected places.

Anthony, who had a game-high 23 points, also had two steals and four blocked shots for the first time since his rookie season in 2003, when he had four blocks and three steals in a game against James' Cleveland Cavaliers.

When the Lakers have a strong defensive performance, their offense typically follows suit. Sunday was no exception.

James looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself, even though his stats weren't eye-popping by his standards (15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists). He was doing shake-and-bakes and playing around with the Rockets, who have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA.

Early in the second quarter, he dribbled right, did a crossover move that shook Sengun, spun and spun back again before shooting a wide-open shot from the elbow. The ball clanked off the rim, but that sequence spurred his entire team into standing.

A few minutes later, the bench got to complete their celebration after James made the reverse jam. He apparently wowed everyone except himself with that play.

"I don’t surprise myself because I know how much work I put into my craft and my body and preparing myself for the game," James said. "So I’m able to go out and do some things that other people are still questioning how I’m able to still do."

Anthony, meanwhile, opened the game 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. After one of his 3s, James turned toward the crowd and held up three fingers as fans roared.

Anthony said it should come as no surprise that his fit with the Lakers has been seamless.

"I think people don’t really understand me," he said. "I think there’s a misconception out there about me and not being able to adapt to situations. But I’m easily adaptable, man, to any situation."

Sunday's game was significant because none of the Big Three exploded for a standout performance. But everyone did his part, played in the flow and focused on the defensive end.

Everyone was engaged. There was joy. The Lakers finally looked like a team that could be dangerous.

It's clear they still have a lot of work to do. The Rockets cut their 28-point deficit to 10 in the fourth quarter, but this time, the Lakers held on for the win.

There were signs Sunday that this team could be something special. This game felt different.

"It definitely felt like Laker basketball," James said.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.