Lakers vs. Rockets was the perfect opening to the NBA’s Saturday night showcase

James Harden’s absurdity continued for yet another January night in a bizarre, long-winded battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets on Saturday. Harden went off for 48 points — which makes 163 over his last three games — to beat L.A. in overtime, 138-134.

And he wasn’t even the hero of the night.

The hero was Eric Gordon who hit an off-balance, game-tying three-point shot to complete Houston’s rally from a 21-point deficit. The Rockets won by launching a brigade of deep shots yet again, coming close to their record-setting 70 from three nights prior with 68.

Houston was hitting from everywhere.

With 40.9 seconds left, L.A. led, 118-112. That’s two full possessions with not much time left, yet the Lakers still messed this one up.

Here’s how that played out:

It took an unreal amount of failure for L.A. to lose that lead.

It was all Ingram in overtime for the Lakers, who scored seven of the team’s 14 points. He hit shots fading away and a big three-point shot to keep his team in the game.

But Harden and Gordon were too much. They scored 17 combined points in the extra minutes, draining a three-point shot each and making it count at the free throw line.

LA trailed by just one with 30 seconds left, but a terrible Kentavious Caldwell-Pope airballed three sucked the life from the Lakers, and down they went.

It was all L.A. for the first half of the game, growing a lead up to 21 points. At the half, they led, 64-46. Kyle Kuzma had 24 points, and it appeared that the under-manned Lakers (without LeBron James) would roll past the under-manned Rockets (without Chris Paul and Clint Capela.)

But then the Rockets switched gears, and by Rockets, we specifically mean Harden. His threes started going down, and The Beard carved right through the Lakers perimeter defense and into the paint. He finished with six assists.

Gordon knocked down fives threes on 10 tries, James Ennis went 4-of-6 and Gerald Green 4-of-11. The Rockets’ brand was strong.

On the other side, the Lakers lost their identity. The offense unexplainably moved out of Kuzma’s hands, and fell flat for stretches. It wasn’t pretty.

Midway through the third quarter, Ball went down with an ugly-looking ankle injury. He didn’t get off the ground for a few minutes, and then Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson carried him to the locker room.

Initial X-rays for Lonzo came back negative, but he didn’t return to the game.

In teammate Brandon Ingram’s mind, Ball’s injury made all the difference. “Right when Lonzo went down, I think that’s exactly when it went away,” he said, according to Silver Screen and Roll’s Harrison Faigen.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is worthy of the award, but Harden is doing the most right now. His 163 points over the last three games have ALL come unassisted. Only Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan have scored more over a three-game stretch. Harden’s 48-point night also extended his streak of 30 or more to 19 straight, joining Wilt Chamberlain.

So no, Josh Hart’s hilarious hands-behind is back defense was not effective.

Harden is truly doing it all, proving he can single-handedly carry an offense. The NBA in the month of January has been the James Harden show, and there’s no signs of that slowing down.