LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Anthony Davis was the biggest player on the floor, and the Houston Rockets had no answers.
Davis had 29 points and 12 rebounds, LeBron James added 15 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers topped the Rockets 110-100 on Thursday night to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
The Lakers, who held on after frittering away most of a big second-half lead, outrebounded the Rockets 52-26 while getting 16 points from Alex Caruso and 11 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists from Rajon Rondo.
"Turnovers," Davis said. "We had too many turnovers."
That was one of the few complaints the Lakers could make after Game 4.
Russell Westbrook had 25 points and James Harden had 21 -- on 2-for-11 shooting -- for the Rockets, who got 19 from Eric Gordon and 14 from Austin Rivers.
The scoring margins were massive: Houston got outscored 62-24 in points in the paint, 17-3 on second-chance points, 19-2 on fast-break points.
"We know we're in a big hole now, but the next game is the game we've got to win," Rockets Coach Mike D'Antoni said.
"We'll go out and if we lay it on the line like the way we did in the fourth quarter, we'll be fine."
The Lakers were up by 23 midway through the fourth, well on their way to a blowout win. That's when Houston's offense woke up.
Westbrook made a corner three-pointer with 3:01 left, Harden got a steal and a pair of free throws on the next possession, and the Rockets put together an 18-2 run to get within 103-96. The Lakers turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions during that stretch, giving Houston life.
"I think we did a good job getting more aggressive, and that led to a lot more opportunities offensively," Harden said.
Harden was then asked why the Rockets were flat through three quarters.
"Good question," Harden said, later adding, "there's nothing we can do about it now."
LA LAKERS (110)
Davis 10-18 9-9 29, James 7-17 2-3 16, Morris 4-10 0-0 9, Caldwell-Pope 4-6 0-0 10, D.Green 4-9 0-0 10, Kuzma 2-6 0-0 4, Caruso 5-9 4-4 16, Horton-Tucker 2-5 0-0 5, Rondo 5-8 0-0 11. Totals 43-88 15-16 110.
HOUSTON (100)
Gordon 6-14 3-4 19, Tucker 0-4 0-0 0, Covington 1-2 0-0 3, Harden 2-11 16-20 21, Westbrook 8-16 6-9 25, J.Green 3-7 3-4 9, McLemore 3-3 0-0 9, Rivers 5-8 2-2 14. Totals 28-65 30-39 100.
LA Lakers........26 31 29 24--110
Houston..........22 19 29 30--100
3-Point Goals--LA Lakers 9-30 (Caldwell-Pope 2-3, Caruso 2-5, D.Green 2-5, Rondo 1-2, Horton-Tucker 1-3, Morris 1-4, Davis 0-2, James 0-5), Houston 14-33 (Gordon 4-8, McLemore 3-3, Westbrook 3-8, Rivers 2-3, Harden 1-6, J.Green 0-2, Tucker 0-2). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--LA Lakers 52 (James 15), Houston 26 (J.Green 7). Assists--LA Lakers 30 (James 9), Houston 24 (Harden 10). Total Fouls--LA Lakers 27, Houston 21.
At a glance
NBA CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
THURSDAY’S GAMES
LA Lakers 110, Houston 100
Lakers lead series 3-1
TODAY’S GAMES
All times Central
Denver vs. LA Clippers, 5:30 p.m.
Clippers lead series 3-1
Boston vs. Toronto, 8 p.m.
Series tied 3-3