Doncic powers Lakers past Rockets for sixth straight win
Luka Doncic scored 36 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-92 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night, opening a two-game series between Western Conference playoff contenders.
The win moved Los Angeles 1.5 games ahead of Houston for third place in the Western Conference standings, News.Az reports, citing AP.
The tightly contested matchup featured 13 lead changes before the Lakers secured their sixth consecutive victory.
LeBron James contributed 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, including a key pass to Marcus Smart for a corner three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 94-90 lead with two minutes remaining.
Doncic took control late in the third quarter, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to put the Lakers ahead 83-80 after trailing 57-51 at halftime. He finished 14-of-27 from the field and went 4-of-12 from beyond the arc. The Slovenian star has now recorded six straight games with at least 30 points and needs 11 more three-pointers to match D'Angelo Russell’s franchise record of 226 in a season.
For Houston, Jabari Smith Jr. led the scoring with 22 points, while Amen Thompson added 19 and Kevin Durant contributed 18. The Rockets struggled with ball control, committing 24 turnovers compared to just 12 by the Lakers.
Houston played without Alperen Sengun, who is sidelined with lower back pain. Sengun is averaging 20.2 points this season, second on the team behind Durant.
The Rockets had won the first meeting between the teams this season, defeating the Lakers 119-96 in Los Angeles on December 25.
The two sides will face off again in Houston on Wednesday.
By Nijat Babayev
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