The Rockets toyed with the Lakers for the vast majority of the night, holding a double digit lead for most of the game before stepping on the gas in the third quarter and blowing the Lakers off the floor 139-100.

James Harden led the Rockets with another triple double in just 31 minutes of action, racking up 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists, while Lou Williams finally rediscovered his shooting stroke. The newcomer went off for 30 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, and he shot 11-17 from the field, including 7-9 from three. When one of the main second-unit guys goes off like this, the Rockets are tough to beat, no matter who the competition.

Houston finished the game shooting 54.9 percent from the field, and they knocked down 18-43 from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded the Lakers 50-38, and also scored 62 points in the paint in what was such a dominant performance that the Houston starters were done for the night before the fourth quarter was half over.

The Lakers did manage to get within 8 points at one time during the third quarter, but they would get no closer than that as the Rockets ran away with things.

The Lakers were led by Julius Randle, who always seems to play well against the Rockets. He racked up 32 points and 8 rebounds. The Lake Show also received 18 points from Brandon Ingram and 18 from Jordan Clarkson.

In addition to Harden and Williams, the Rockets had a statistical cornucopia in the final box. Trevor Ariza had 20 points, 4 triples and 4 steals, and his shot seems to have also returned after the veteran dealt with a slump for a bit. His stroke was smooth on the evening.

The Rockets also got a double-double from Clint Capela. The big man went for 15 points and 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action and, as usual, was force on the pick and roll.

Houston also got 10 points from Nene, 10 from Eric Gordon and 10 from Montrezl Harrell to round out the double-digit scorers. In fact, the domination was so complete, human victory cigar Bobby Brown was a single point shy of double-digit scoring, finishing with 9 points on 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Rockets have now won three games in a row and move to 47-21 on the season. They are a full 4 games ahead of the Jazz for the number three seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers fall to 20-48 and last in the West.

Houston plays again on Friday night, as they travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans.