The winning streak is over at 14 games for the Rockets (25-5), who lost for the first time since November 14 in Wednesday's 123-116 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. - James Harden (51 points, 15-of-27 FG, 9 assists) looked as explosive as he's been in some time, but Houston couldn't overcome an early 48-26 deficit and injuries to Clint Capela (heel, DNP) and Chris Paul, who departed early with a left adductor strain. - Paul was just 2-of-7 for 8 points and a plus/minus differential of -16 in 25 minutes, and he looked noticeably less explosive than in previous games. Though it was not a knee injury, that's the same left leg that caused Paul to miss 14 games earlier this season with a bruised knee. - Meanwhile, Ryan Anderson scored just two points on 1-of-5 shooting in 25 minutes, and Houston was -22 in plus/minus differential with Anderson on the court. It's the third consecutive poor outing from Anderson, and it came at an inopportune time with both Nene (defense) and Tarik Black (offense) showing limitations in the absence of Capela. - Wednesday's postgame show breaks down those angles and more, including why it isn't fair to blame head coach Mike D'Antoni for the sudden wave of injuries to the rotation. - #Rockets #NBA #Lakers - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices