The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off an impressive 111-106 come-from-behind victory on Thursday against the Houston Rockets. Following the contest, head coach Luke Walton had nothing but wonderful things to say about guard Josh Hart, who made quite an impact despite playing just 19 minutes off the bench and not putting up big numbers in the box score:
Luke Walton on Josh Hart: “He was great. That’s why people should not judge on the stats or the box score. He was 2-of-3 & he was +22. He was diving for lose balls, coming up w/ rebounds, just making winning plays. When he plays like that, he’s really important to us.” #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 22, 2019
Luke Walton on Josh Hart: “We needed to find some toughness & some of that scrap that, when he’s on his game, he brings. Credit to him for staying ready, even though he didn’t play in the first half.” #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 22, 2019
As Walton explained, the box score does absolutely nothing to justify Hart’s noteworthy effort on Thursday. He scored only four points on 2-of-3 shooting, while also recording just two rebounds and an assist, but he actually proved to be the injection of energy the Lakers needed in the second half.
Hart’s impact on the game can be measured by his plus-minus rating, which was an astounding plus-22 points. Hart didn’t play in the first half, but his energy helped turn the game around in the second half when the Lakers made their comeback.
James notched a team-high 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting and added 11 rebounds, six assists, a steal, a block, and four turnovers in 40 minutes of action. LeBron appeared to activate playoff mode in the fourth and final frame, as he led his team to outscore James Harden (30 points, five rebounds, six assists) and company 28-16 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
Ingram was terrific himself, logging a 27-point, 13-rebound double-double in a team-high 41 minutes of play.
This was an important victory for the Lakers following the All-Star break, as they continue to fight for a playoff spot in the West. They are now 29-29 and are currently two and a half games behind the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
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