For the first time in seven years, the Rockets won on Christmas Day.
With Houston’s blowout 119-96 win over the Lakers on Thursday, the Rockets improved to 6-6 in Christmas Day games since the franchise relocated from San Diego in 1971. It was the first time Houston won on Dec. 25 since 2018, when James Harden dropped 41 points to lead the Rockets to a 113-109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Rockets history on Christmas Day
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Houston, which had lost four of its last five games heading into the matchup while sporting just a 4-6 record in December. It was the first time the Rockets played on Christmas since 2019, when they fell 116-104 to the Golden State Warriors.
Houston’s 119 points against Los Angeles were the second-most it scored in a December 25 game, behind only the 120 points it scored in a 2012 win over the Chicago Bulls. By holding the Rockets to 96 points, it was also the fourth time this season that Houston’s defense held its opponent to under 100 points, and the first time the Rockets held their opponent to that mark on Christmas since they held the San Antonio Spurs to 84 in a 2015 win.
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Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant also etched their names into Houston’s record books in the win. Thompson scored a game-high 26 points in the win, and with Durant scoring 25, the two became the first teammates in franchise history to score 25+ points in a Christmas Day game.
While Houston has bigger aspirations than winning Christmas Day games this season, their first win on the holiday in seven years is still worth celebrating. As Houston has struggled to live up to its lofty preseason expectations, it could help the Rockets snap out of their recent slump.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets earn blowout win over Lakers for first on Christmas since 2018
