The Los Angeles Lakers just got a massive 104-98 win over the Houston Rockets in a game that had playoff implications in the Western Conference. The Lakers sit fourth in the West, while the Rockets have the second seed, so this game was going to be a must-watch. In what felt like a gritty playoff game, the Lakers relied on their defense to get them a major win against the Rockets.
The game came down to the final seconds, as most Lakers games have this season. LeBron James, who struggled offensively on the night, pulled off a brilliant game-winning block on Alperen Sengun. This block killed off any chance of the Rockets clawing their way back and allowed the Lakers to secure what was yet another impressive home victory.
The Lakers did not have a good night offensively, especially the big three. Luka Doncic registered just 20 points (6-16 FG), six rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. LeBron James also lacked his signature touch, dropping 16 points (5-12 FG), eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Austin Reaves had a quiet game with just 12 points (5-11 FG), eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
With this win, the Lakers remain fourth in the Western Conference with a 46-29 record. They are now just one game back from the third seed Denver Nuggets, who have a 47-28 record. While the Rockets stay firm at second with a 49-27 record. With just 6/7 games left to play for all three teams, the second seed is there for the taking. One of these teams just needs to outperform the others.
Lakers fans were thrilled with this win, taking to X to shower praise on LeBron, Luka, and Reaves. James in particular caught a lot of praise for his excellent block, but Luka and Reaves were also lauded for their defensive effort.
“LeBron has been f**king amazing on weakside defense/rebounding this game.”
“LeBron took out all his road trip frustrations on that block.”
“It never gets old seeing LeBron walk off the court when time is still on the clock.”
“Lakers trolled, but Dillon and the Rockets trolled harder. Bless up.”
“You’d think the Lakers lose a game like this when the big 3 put up these numbers.”
“Houston Rockets, Pocket Rockets, Rocket Man… Lakers in 5.”
“We should be the 2 seed right now. Gave so many dumb games away.”
“Luka Doncic just had an EXCELLENT defensive game, but I promise you that ESPN won’t lead with that on all of their shows, and there will be ZERO viral videos of him locking up the Rockets or the turnovers he forced.”
“Casuals saying Austin Reaves was a no-show tonight when he barely got any touches, nobody was passing to him… They are ignoring/don’t see how his great defense impacted the game, though. Sigh.”
“They really used Reaves as bait to get the switch on Sengun, and LeBron was going to provide weak side help the entire time.”
The Lakers will be thrilled with such an important win against a big conference rival. If they can carry the energy they did tonight for the rest of the season and into the playoffs, it will be hard to look past them as title contenders.
For now, the Lakers will turn their focus to their next game, as they play the Golden State Warriors at home on Thursday night at 10:30 PM EST. The Lakers should focus on winning every game possible to create distance between them and teams below them, but also to climb the West ladder as high as possible before the season is over.
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