March 10 (UPI) -- A LeBron James triple-double performance was not enough to stop the Los Angeles Lakers' recent skid, as the team dropped to a season-worst nine games below .500 with a loss to the last-place Houston Rockets.
James recorded 23 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four blocks in the 139-130 overtime setback Wednesday at Toyota Center in Houston. The loss dropped the Lakers to 28-37 this season. They sit in ninth place in the Western Conference and remain on the edge of postseason eligibility.
"We play some good basketball, the we don't play good basketball," James told reporters, when asked about the team's struggles. "We have good quarters, then we don't have good quarters.
"It just seemed like we couldn't get a two-possession lead. They came right back and we couldn't get two stops in a row to extend the lead.
"They made big, tough shots. Jalen Green was excellent with his shot-making ability. All those guys made shot after shot."
Green scored a game-high 32 points in the win. Center Alpheren Sengun chipped in 21 points and 14 rebounds for Houston. Kenyon Martin Jr. scored 17 points with 11 rebounds in the win. Kevin Porter Jr. totaled 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Rockets.
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook totaled 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Wednesday's game featured 13 lead changes and was tied nine times. The Rockets outscored the Lakers 62-52 in the paint, 44-35 off the bench and 19-16 off turnovers. They also led by as many as a dozen and outscored the Lakers 42-32 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Lakers shot 57.7% from the field and made 6 of 11 shots from 3-point range through the first 12 minutes to take a 38-32 lead into the second quarter.
The Rockets outscored the Lakers 8-3 to start that quarter. They used another 13-3 run to take a 53-48 edge less than five minutes later and carried a five-point edge through halftime.
The Lakers outscored the Rockets 35-29 in the third to take a 98-97 advantage into the fourth. The score stayed tight through the final 12 minutes of regulation. Green made a jump shot with 2:02 remaining to give the Rockets a 120-118 edge. Westbrook tied the game less than a minute later with another pull-up jumper.
Neither team could connect for another go-ahead field goal in the final minute of regulation. Green caught fire in overtime, pacing the Rockets to the victory with 10 points down the stretch.
The Rockets made 7 of 8 shots -- including 5 of 5 3-pointers -- over the final five minutes, while the Lakers connected on 4 of 9 attempts.
"[Opponents] are going to compete, they're playing the Lakers," Westbrook said. "As you guys see, when they play the Lakers, people, they get up for those games."
The Lakers, winners in just two of their past 11 games, host the Washington Wizards (29-35) at 10:30 p.m. EST Friday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Rockets (17-49) host the Dallas Mavericks (40-26) at 8 p.m. Friday at Toyota Center.
The Rockets are well outside the playoff picture, while the Lakers are in position to go to the play-in tournament, which includes the teams with the 7th through 10th highest winning percentages in each conference.
"We have a very small margin for error this year and teams are making us pay," James said.
