LOS ANGELES _ After his first official victory as a head coach in his first game leading the Los Angeles Lakers, Luke Walton hesitated when asked if the win felt good.
"Ummm," Walton began.
Then he conceded.
"It feels good," Walton said Wednesday after the 120-114 win over the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. "It feels really good. The guys really fought tonight.
"A big part of what we're trying to do here is develop this identity, this culture, we keep using the word, and learning how to win games is part of figuring out who we are, and it's a skill at this level. We did some things that could have cost us at the end of the game tonight. We can learn from that, and the fact that we still got the win feels really good."
This is a team that is rebuilding, that won't demand playoff contention this season, and simply wants to see improvement and development in its young core. But in the season opener, the future seemed closer than it had before.
Jordan Clarkson finished with a team-high 25 points in 24 minutes, making eight of 12 shots and scoring all but two points in the second half. D'Angelo Russell had 20 points, and Julius Randle added 18.
Although Walton went 39-4 as an interim head coach for the Golden State Warriors last season, none of those wins counted toward his record as a head coach. He coached his official debut in front of his family _ his father, Hall of Famer Bill Walton; his mother, Susie, and his brothers among them.
He wanted effort above all else, he wanted solid defense and to limit fouls. He got part of that.
The Lakers dived for loose balls, chased down rebounds and clawed their way to the win. They also sent Rockets point guard James Harden to the foul line constantly. Harden finished with 34 points and 17 rebounds.
The Lakers found a way to get Nick Young into the starting lineup, playing him at shooting guard along with point guard Russell, small forward Luol Deng, power forward Randle and center Timofey Mozgov. Walton played coy until just before the game began on his lineup, citing heated discussions among his assistant coaches about the right set. Walton said he was considering three different groups.
Although Clarkson did not start, his impact impressed Walton the most. It fit the selfless attitude he wants from his players.
"He didn't pout, he didn't complain," Walton said. "When he got his minutes in the second half, he was probably the best player on the floor for us."
Against what should be one of the league's most fast-paced, hottest shooting teams, the Lakers turned the tables to open the game. In the first quarter, after falling behind by nine points, they got consecutive three-pointers from Young, Deng and Russell to tie the score at 15.
Russell had 12 points in that period, three of them on three-pointers.
Their shooting cooled considerably after the first quarter, which ended in a 38-38 tie. Their hustle kept them in the game.
It showed especially late in the game, despite some turnovers.
With less than a minute to go, Russell and Young dived for the ball to wrest it away from Harden and the crowd stood up to honor the effort. At the other end, with seemingly every fan in the building standing, piqued in anticipation, Randle scored to put the Lakers up 120-114 with 45.2 seconds remaining and the crowd erupted, celebrating what's to come.
