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November 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (0) moves to the basket to score against the defense of Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez (42) during the second half at Staples Center. USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez

Rookie forward Kyle Kuzma posted a career-high 38 points as the Los Angeles Lakers (11-18) beat the Houston Rockets (25-5) at the Toyota Center on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT). With the victory, the Lakers ended Rockets' 14-game winning streak which began with a 142-116 win over the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 16.

The Rockets still own the best record in the NBA. Despite entering Wednesday's game without starting centre Clint Capela, they were tipped as heavy favourites to beat the young Lakers, who had lost eight of their previous 10 games. However, the Lakers surprised Houston by jumping to a 37-22 lead in the first quarter before the home team went on a run. The Lakers outscored the Rockets 59-57 in the second half, in a hard-fought game.

James Harden, the frontrunner to win the MVP award, poured in 51 points but couldn't stop Kuzma and the Lakers from going on a strong fourth quarter run. Kuzma, who didn't miss a shot through the first half, drained seven three-pointers in his career-best performance.

After the game, a confident Kuzma said: "Why not? I scored 30s in summer league, so... It's a better team but it's the same mentality. I've got the same mentality every time I step on the court. I try to play my hardest and just be locked in."

Kyle Kuzma replaces Larry Nance as starter

Lakers coach Luke Walton acknowledged that inserting Kuzma into the starting unit helped the Lakers get off to a fast start. "The fact that we were able to kind of punch them early and you knew that run was coming and then find our composure again and hit some big plays and get some big stops, it was really good to see from our group," Walton said after his team scored 37 points in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Rockets points guard Chris Paul left the game early in the fourth quarter and did not return. After the game, coach Mike D'Antoni said Paul had strained his left adductor. According to ESPN, Paul's latest injury is not related to the bruised left knee that sidelined him for the first month of the season. Paul, averaging 9.3 assists per game in his first season with the Rockets, he had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists before leaving the court on Wednesday.

Kyle Kuzma and the Lakers will now visit the Golden State Warriors Friday evening before returning home to host the Portland Trail Blazers a day later. The Rockets will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.