The Houston Rockets (12 - 12) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (3 - 21) 126 - 97 on Saturday. The Lakers' frontcourt has been manhandled throughout the season by opposing power forwards and centers, and Saturday night represented another situation ripe for the same type of outcome, considering that Los Angeles would be facing a motivated Dwight Howard. The Rockets' big man, who spent one tumultous season in Los Angeles during the 2012 - 13 campaign, brought his A-game against his former team after back - to - back lackluster performances. The 12 - year pro posted 18 points, 12 rebounds, a pair of assists, a pair of blocks and a steal. It was Howard's seventh double - double of the season, and featured his second - best shooting night of the campaign (88 percent). His dominance was a microcosm of the bigger picture, as Houston outscored the visitors in the paint 62 - 28 and outrebounded them 52 to 40. Los Angeles was led by Kobe Bryant, who managed one of his best games of the season with 25 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals over 31 minutes. Lou Williams was solid in another starting opportunity, tallying 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. D'Angelo Russell could n't put together a third consecutive standout performance, but did pitch in with 12 points, four assists and and three steals. Roy Hibbert (10 points) and Larry Nance, Jr. (eight points) only managed modest contributions, and Nick Young paced the Los Angeles bench with 13 points. The Lakers fell to 3 - 21 and remain in last place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. They head home to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. In addition to Howard's stellar effort, James Harden led the overall scoring for Houston with 30 points. Clint Capela also produced against the Lakers' vulnerable frontcourt, managing his own double - double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. While the remaining Houston starters only mustered single - digit points, Marcus Thornton paced the Rockets bench with 18 points, while Donatas Motiejunas had his best game since returning from offseason back surgery. The four - year pro managed an impressive 11 points in just 15 minutes, which was his highest allotment of playing time in the four games that he's been active this season. The Rockets improved to 12 - 12 and remain in fourth place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They travel to Denver to face off against the Nuggets on Monday.
["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ,has 126 Total points ,has 52 Points in 1st quarter ,has 12 Rebounds ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 21 Percentage of field goals ,has 97 Losses ,has 25 Total points ,has 3 Points in 1st quarter ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kobe Bryant') has 31 Assists ,has 25 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Larry Nance Jr.') has 8 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Roy Hibbert') has 10 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Lou Williams') has 3 Assists ,has 15 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'D'Angelo Russell') has 4 Assists ,has 12 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Nick Young') has 13 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Clint Capela') has 4 Assists ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 11 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 88 Assists ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 18 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 30 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Marcus Thornton') has 4 Assists ,has 18 3-pointers made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Donatas Motiejunas') has 4 Assists ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 15 Field goals made ,has 11 Field goal percentage ,has 4 Free throws attempted ."]