Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a hard-fought win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night by a final score of 104-98.
With the victory, the Lakers improved to 46-29 on the season. Los Angeles has just seven regular season games remaining and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference is very much within reach.
After their win over the Rockets, the Lakers are just one game behind the Denver Nuggets from that seed. They are also just two games ahead of the No. 5 seed Memphis Grizzlies.
In the win, Los Angeles saw the entire team come together. No single player powered the Lakers to the win over Houston.
Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Gabe Vincent all tied for the team lead in scoring with 20 points apiece. LeBron James chipped in 16 points, while Austin Reaves scored 12.
Despite neither James nor Doncic putting up huge scoring numbers, the 26-year-old phenom loved what he saw. He issued a strong message to the team after the win.
"We gotta play like this every game," Doncic said in his post-game meeting with the media.
"We gotta play like this every game."#LakeShow
Luka Dončić (20 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast) talks with the media after the Lakers' 104-98 win over the Houston Rockets. pic.twitter.com/aWtGnDw2VP
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 1, 2025
James also spoke out about the team's main goal with the regular season winding down quickly.
"Our mission is to lock in a playoff spot and not have to play in the play-in so we understand what's at stake," he said.
Los Angeles will have another chance to take a step towards its goal on Thursday night with a tough matchup at home against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
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This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 7:00 AM.