HOUSTON _ With a little more than five minutes remaining in the game, Anthony Davis turned his index fingers outward and faced the crowd that would be his orchestra.
They chanted, "Let's go Lakers," and Davis waved his fingers like he was their conductor.
Then he stopped, leaned toward them and pointed at his left ear as if he couldn't hear them. They grew louder to oblige.
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 124-115, starting their five-game road trip with a win over one of the Western Conference's top teams. The Rockets' dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden combined for 69 points, but the Lakers (34-8) reined them in during the third quarter to take control of the game.
LeBron James scored had 31 points and 12 assists while Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope surged in the second half. Kuzma finished with 23 points while Caldwell-Pope added 20. Danny Green added 20 points.
For the fifth consecutive game, Davis didn't play as he recovers from a bruise on his buttocks. The Lakers did not have an official shoot-around Saturday, but Davis worked out in the morning and did not feel ready to return to game action. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Davis will get on a court Sunday morning before the Lakers travel to Boston to see if he will be available to play on Monday.
Without Davis, the Lakers again started Kuzma.
In the first half, the Rockets (26-15) appeared ready to take full control. They led for the entire first half, scoring the game's first six points. The Lakers didn't score until 9:43 remained in the first quarter, when Danny Green made a three-pointer.
They struggled to stop Westbrook, who made five of six shots in the first quarter, and allowed themselves to become frustrated by the officiating. At halftime, they trailed by five points.
In the third quarter, the Lakers' defensive intensity changes and they outscored the Rockets 32-17 and held them to only 21.4% shooting. The Lakers double-teamed Harden lightly, and had Kuzma guard Westbrook, which limited both players' effectiveness.
With 7:52 left in the third quarter, LeBron James scored on a layup to give the Lakers their first lead of the game, 69-68.
From there, the Lakers controlled the game.
