Doncic gives Lakers a reality check

Here’s hoping this matchup repeats in the playoffs – it would be a gift for basketball fans. The Lakers, under the spotlight since the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic, now carry more weight than ever – on and off the court. The Rockets, meanwhile, bring a surge of youthful energy under coach Ime Udoka, shaking off their underdog label and proving they belong in the title conversation.

Lakers 104–98 Rockets explained

Only one regular-season clash remains between them, but if Monday night at Crypto.com Arena was any indication, the postseason needs this rivalry. What unfolded was playoff-level intensity before the playoffs even began: a 104–98 win for the Lakers in a game that demanded effort, attention, and – frankly – was worth the price of admission or the time on the couch.

Both teams went all in. Los Angeles, fighting to secure home-court advantage, dug deep. So did Houston, running a tight eight-man rotation and testing the Lakers with constant pressure. With traditional game plans disrupted and benches shortened, both squads had to innovate.

Lakers trio lacking rhythm

The usual trio of Doncic, LeBron James (16 points), and Austin Reaves (12) struggled to find rhythm. Doncic himself admitted it was “the worst game we’ve played together so far.” But the Lakers found a new formula: the three-point shot – and it was Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith, alongside Doncic, who stepped up. Each scored 20 points, combining for 60 in total and forming a new-look trio that proved decisive.

This was just the first of two massive tests for the Lakers in the penultimate week of the regular season. They opened it against the second-place Rockets, and will close it Sunday against the West-leading Thunder. In between? A high-stakes clash with the Warriors and a lighter task against the Pelicans. So far, so good – the Lakers now sit fourth, just one game behind the third-place Nuggets.

JJ Redick praised his players for “leaving it all on the floor,” noting how they adjusted after Saturday’s offensive explosion in Memphis – a game he called their best attacking performance of the season. Against Houston, they pivoted, adapted, and found a way to win with grit rather than flair.

The Rockets, for their part, brought real pressure. Amen Thompson continues to dazzle on both ends of the court, and Houston’s physical defense at times smothered the Lakers. But in crunch time, the Rockets couldn’t hit the big shots. That might be their biggest test come playoff time – converting when it counts, against any opponent.

NBA scores from Monday night:

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Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

28 Rui Hachimura
23 LeBron James
11 Jaxson Hayes
77 Luka Dončić
15 Austin Reaves
17 Dorian Finney-Smith
30 Jordan Goodwin
9 Bronny James Jr.
55 Trey Jemison III
4 Dalton Knecht
27 Alex Len
20 Shake Milton
88 Markieff Morris
2 Jarred Vanderbilt
7 Gabe Vincent
10 Christian Koloko

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
28 Rui Hachimura	30	7	2	0	2	0	0	2	0	0/0	2/4	1/6	0	1	0
23 LeBron James	37	16	8	0	8	4	3	2	2	4/4	3/8	2/4	0	1	0
11 Jaxson Hayes	14	3	3	1	2	1	2	0	0	1/1	1/2	0/0	0	2	0
77 Luka Dončić	38	20	6	0	6	9	3	2	0	7/9	5/9	1/7	0	5	0
15 Austin Reaves	38	12	8	1	7	3	1	2	0	2/2	5/8	0/3	0	1	0
17 Dorian Finney-Smith	31	20	6	1	5	3	1	2	3	2/2	0/2	6/11	0	2	0
30 Jordan Goodwin	11	4	2	1	1	1	1	0	0	0/0	2/3	0/2	0	1	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
55 Trey Jemison III	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
27 Alex Len	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
20 Shake Milton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
88 Markieff Morris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	9	2	6	4	2	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/6	0/0	0	1	0
7 Gabe Vincent	23	20	4	2	2	1	0	1	1	2/2	0/1	6/13	0	1	0
10 Christian Koloko	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Houston Rockets

Stats

9 Dillon Brooks
1 Amen Thompson
28 Alperen Sengün
4 Jalen Green
5 Fred VanVleet
12 Steven Adams
17 Tari Eason
32 Jeff Green
0 Aaron Holiday
2 Jock Landale
15 Reed Sheppard
10 Jabari Smith Jr.
8 Jae'Sean Tate
7 Cam Whitmore
3 N'Faly Dante
58 Jack McVeigh
45 David Roddy
19 Nate Williams

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
9 Dillon Brooks	35	16	5	1	4	1	1	1	1	3/4	2/5	3/9	0	2	0
1 Amen Thompson	33	20	5	2	3	4	2	2	2	3/4	7/11	1/3	0	3	0
28 Alperen Sengün	34	14	7	2	5	6	2	0	1	4/4	5/11	0/0	0	4	0
4 Jalen Green	30	9	9	0	9	5	2	1	1	0/0	3/9	1/4	0	1	0
5 Fred VanVleet	39	7	4	0	4	9	1	0	0	2/3	1/7	1/7	0	3	0
12 Steven Adams	15	4	7	2	5	0	3	1	0	2/2	1/1	0/1	0	0	0
17 Tari Eason	21	13	3	1	2	0	2	1	0	0/0	5/9	1/2	0	4	0
32 Jeff Green	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Aaron Holiday	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Jock Landale	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
15 Reed Sheppard	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
10 Jabari Smith Jr.	27	15	11	2	9	1	2	1	0	0/0	3/4	3/6	0	3	0
8 Jae'Sean Tate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
7 Cam Whitmore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
3 N'Faly Dante	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
58 Jack McVeigh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
45 David Roddy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
19 Nate Williams	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0