The Rockets were on their way to a 28-point lead Friday against the San Antonio Spurs, having never lost a game with Chris Paul in uniform. But Paul was late on a defensive rotation and was sure to hear about it in high-volume terms best not repeated.

There probably are worse things a player can do, but forward P.J. Tucker was not about to let it slide because the Rockets had won a bunch of games.

Tucker turned to the Hall-of-Fame-bound point guard, one known to share a thought or two himself, and sent a verbal blast that would seem to better fit a team with a long losing streak. To the Rockets, it was a sign of why they keep winning.

"He was low man and didn't come low," Tucker said of the rotation. "That was part of what made our defense good that game. He wasn't there that time so I got on him. He kind of looked at me crazy but later said, 'Tuck, I appreciate it. You were right. I got your back.' And it flips. He'll tell me all the time if I'm not doing something right."

After polishing off the Spurs 124-109, Paul said the best part of the winning streak - now at 14 games as the Rockets have won 20 of 21 games to match the best start through 29 games in franchise history - is that the team can still improve. A game later, he cited Tucker's halftime exhortations. After the Rockets blew out the Utah Jazz 120-99 on Monday, coach Mike D'Antoni described the fourth-quarter blast as "good and bad." Bad because the Rockets (25-4) had assumed they could take over the game, good because they were right.

More Information Scouting report: vs. L.A. Lakers When/where: 7 p.m. today; Toyota Center. TV/radio: ATTSW; 790 AM and 850 AM (Spanish). Rockets (25-4) update: With a win, the Rockets would match the second-longest winning streak - 15 games - in franchise history. … The Rockets have won 12 of 14 games against the Lakers. … The Rockets moved past the Warriors on Monday to have the top offensive rating in the NBA. … Chris Paul has made at least three 3-pointers in five consecutive games. He had never had a streak longer than three games in his career. … James Harden has scored at least 20 points in every game this season, matching Moses Malone's franchise record for consecutive games with at least 20 points and joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players to score 20 in their teams' first 29 games. … Guard Eric Gordon has averaged four 3-pointers on 51.3 percent 3-point shooting in his past five games. His 33 points Wednesday were the most for a Rocket off the bench since Cuttino Mobley had 33 in the 2000-01 season. … Center Clint Capela has made 40 of 47 shots over his past five games, the best shooting percentage in a five-game stretch with a minimum of 40 made shots since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967. … Forward Ryan Anderson has not scored in the past two games, but his four assists Wednesday were a season high. … Luc Mbah a Moute (dislocated shoulder) is out. Lakers (10-18) update: They have a three-game losing streak after an overtime loss to the Warriors on Monday. They are 4-10 on the road. … The Lakers play at the fastest pace in the NBA, averaging 104.59 possessions per game. They are second in fast-break points, averaging 15.6 per game and lead the NBA in points in the paint, averaging 54.6. They also allow the most points in the paint. … Brandon Ingram's 16.2 points per game lead the Lakers. … Lonzo Ball's 7.1 assists per game are seventh in the league and second among rookies. He is making just 33.9 percent of his shots, 27.5 percent of 3s, but he's 9-of-20 on 3s in the past three games. … Kyle Kuzma's 16 points per game are third among rookies. … Center Brook Lopez (sprained right ankle) is out. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is out because of travel restrictions related to a plea deal after a charge of allowing an individual to operate a vehicle while intoxicated. Statistically speaking: 41.7. Minutes played per game by Trevor Ariza since the injury to Luc Mbah a Moute. Since rejoining the Rockets in 2014-15, he has played the third-most minutes in the NBA.

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"We're getting away from getting out there and getting after them right at the beginning and blowing them out," D'Antoni said. "Now we're kind of waiting until the end. We're going against that, and we'll try to do a better job."

It might reflect how well the Rockets have played that the complaint was with how long it took for them to get around to the blowout, but that fit with their determination to be demanding of themselves and each other.

"We're just so blunt and honest, man," Tucker said. "Everybody puts their feeling to the side. Let's be grown men. At the end of the day, let's do what we have to do to win game. If that's calling out something that's going on that we need to stop or do more of, that's the openness we talk about having. Some games, you have to push some buttons to get it started.

"It's easier with the streak. You don't want it to stop. Like Chris said, I hate losing more than I like winning. I hate losing. Each game, we just think about the Rockets, not who we're playing. It's about us and us doing the things we do. If we do what we do, it's going to be tough for anybody to beat us."

Policing themselves

That also makes them more demanding about what will be satisfactory. Just winning, or even just winning by 21 points as they did with a fourth-quarter blast on Monday, is not enough if acceptable is measured by the Rockets' play compared to their best, rather than their opponent's.

When D'Antoni was asked about what he tells a team on the Rockets' sort of roll, he joked, "Way to go."

He says that a lot, but he does not stop there, with Tuesday's thorough video session offering critiques considerably harsher.

"This the best time to get on them because they won't listen anyway, but at least they won't be mad at you," D'Antoni said. "We try to learn and put it in a way that every game we make mistakes, let's talk about it and try to get better for the next game. We're trying to figure things out still, trying to get better. That will never stop. It's a process."

D'Antoni has often cited the Rockets' ability to self-police, with any rotation player feeling free to rebuke another and willing to get criticism in return.

"Real good, real good," D'Antoni said of how well the Rockets have handled that. "They want to get better. They don't get offended when we show a film and the perpetrator is up there for everybody to see. They understand it happens to everybody. Everybody is going to get called (out), and it's going to get better.

"You can see they are able to police themselves and not be offended or fracture at all. They stay together and keep pulling."

Fighting human nature

They also heard plenty about what has gone wrong at a time so much has gone right. It might be dangerous to think they can flip a switch, even if on Monday they were right. Rather than revel in the fourth quarter, they heard about the first three, if not quite with Tucker's in-game style.

"We told them today, you can't get too confident, 'Oh, we'll turn it on in the fourth quarter and everything's going to be OK,' " D'Antoni said. "No, it isn't. But it's also human nature. Who knows what it is. But we're going to guard against everything and try to get better."