The Western Conference delivered a pair of commanding performances on Sunday night, as the Houston Rockets overpowered the Utah Jazz on the road and the Los Angeles Lakers extended their franchise-best surge, combining for a night that underlined the rising power structure out West.
Houston’s 129-101 dismantling of Utah in Salt Lake City showcased a team hitting its stride early in the season.
The Rockets forced 17 turnovers, turned them into 22 points, and ran away behind explosive scoring runs of 16-2 in the second quarter and 24-3 late in the third.
With the win, their fifth straight on the road, Houston improved to 13-4 and tightened its hold near the top of the standings.
Alperen Şengün continued his ascent as one of the league’s most complete young bigs, posting 27 points, five assists and four rebounds while steering Houston’s interior dominance.
Kevin Durant, returning from a brief ankle layoff, added 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting and delivered three first-quarter steals that sparked an early 19-4 burst.
Steven Adams muscled his way to a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double off the bench, and Amen Thompson kept the offense humming with nine assists as Houston shot 52.3% overall.
Utah, now 6-13, never recovered from a scoreless stretch of more than six minutes in the opening quarter.
Rookie Ace Bailey led the way with 19 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 18, but the Jazz committed 19 turnovers and struggled to navigate Houston’s length.
Guard Keyonte George finished without a point and coughed up eight turnovers in a night emblematic of Utah’s early-season growing pains.
Hours later in Los Angeles, the Lakers matched Houston’s energy with a 133-121 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, extending their winning streak to seven and improving to 15-4.
The rout came without LeBron James, who missed the game with lingering foot soreness, but Luka Doncic filled the void with an MVP-caliber performance: 34 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, including 20 in a blistering first quarter that fueled a 46-point opening frame – L.A.’s highest of the season.
Austin Reaves caught fire as well, tying his career high with 33 points and adding eight assists on 12-for-18 shooting, while DeAndre Ayton produced 22 points and 12 boards in one of the Lakers’ most balanced offensive outings of the young season.
L.A. shot 54.1% from the field, hit 40.5% from deep and held off a brief third-quarter Pelicans rally with composed free-throw shooting down the stretch.
New Orleans, now 3-18 amid injuries to Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III, showed flashes behind Bryce McGowens’ 23 points and Saddiq Bey’s 22-point double-double, but defensive lapses buried their comeback hopes.
