The Lakers extend their winning streak to seven with a Luka Dončić second-half masterclass for a second-straight win over the Houston Rockets, 124-116, on Wednesday night.
The game began with LeBron James draining a 3-pointer for LA. Amen Thompson responded on the other end with a dunk. LeBron knocked down another triple, making him the leading scorer for Los Angeles with six. Deandre Ayton was off to a strong start with four points.
At the 6:30 mark, the purple and gold were up by two.
Luka Dončić
had a slow start to the game, missing his first shot attempts and going 0-3 from the charity stripe after he was fouled from behind the arc. He finally saw the ball go through the hoop at the 4:57 mark on a 3-pointer. Rui Hachimura came in and drained a triple as well.
The Lakers were shooting 60% from behind the arc.
Luka and Luke Kennard combined for a quick eight points, extending LA’s lead. Dončić closed Los Angeles’ strong first quarter with a 3-pointer that gave them a nine-point lead.
The second period began with Thompson being fouled and converting on both free throw attempts. After both teams had consecutively turned the ball over, Marcus Smart had the ball and threw an alley-oop to LeBron for the emphatic dunk. Jake LaRavia knocked down a triple for LA.
LeBron then dunked again, for what felt like the 15th time in the first half.
Houston called a timeout as Los Angeles’ lead grew to double figures. Out of the break, the Rockets scored four in a row. Ayton continued his dominant play, pouring in four more points. Kevin Durant only had two shot attempts so far in the half.
At the 2:23 mark, the Lakers were up by seven.
Los Angeles closed the half fantastically, on the shoulders of LeBron, who was now a perfect eight for eight from the field. Luka converted on a three-point play that put the purple and gold up by 12 at halftime.
The second half started with Durant scoring five in a row for the Rockets. Houston had a great start to the quarter with a 9-2 scoring run that cut the deficit down to one.
After a dunk by Durant, the Rockets were up by one. Thompson was now at 18 points. Jabari Smith Jr. was also cooking for Houston with 13 points.
Austin Reaves’ night was rough, scoring just five points so far.
LA called a timeout, and after the break, Los Angeles turned the ball over. On the other end, Alperen Sengun scored on a jumpshot. Smart converted on a midrange jumper to stop some of the bleeding for the Lakers.
Durant was now in double figures with 11 points.
The Rockets jumped ahead by four. LA did end up tying the game thanks to LeBron converting on a three-point play, but Houston responded by extending their lead to four again. The rest of the quarter saw Luka trying to keep Los Angeles within striking distance. Going into the fourth, the Lakers were down by three.
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The final frame began with Reaves draining a much-needed triple for him and the team. LaRavia then stole the ball and dunked, giving LA the lead. LeBron then blocked Smith Jr., leading to a layup by Reaves. Sengun stopped the 9-0 run with a pair of free throws.
Houston tied the game with a dunk by Thompson.
Los Angeles then scored six in a row for a six-point lead. The Rockets were forced to call a timeout. Out of the break, Smith Jr. scored on a midrange jumper. Houston then jumped into the lead by one with 6:57 left.
The Rockets were on a 9-0 scoring run with a three-point lead. LeBron converted on a jumper to make it a one-point game. Both teams exchanged the lead and tied it back and forth. Luka and Rui Hachimura drained triples, helping put LA up by four.
After the Rockets made it a two-point game, Los Angeles erupted to make it a nine-point lead. Luka orchestrated this massive clutch run, connecting with Hachimura and LeBron for dunks. He also drained a ridiculous 3-pointer that sealed the win.
Key Player Stats
Luka finished with 40 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. LeBron James ended with 30 points and five rebounds. Austin Reaves had 14 points with eight assists.
Ayton pitched in with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists. Kennard had five points off the bench. Smart grabbed three rebounds, dished four dimes and had two steals. LaRavia logged five points with three rebounds and two assists. Hachimura notched eight points with three rebounds.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Miami Heat on Thursday at 5:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
