The Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Houston Rockets on Monday night in a big game with playoff seeding in the mix. Since the Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Boston Celtics earlier in the day, the Rockets would have clinched a top-six playoff spot with a win over the Lakers, but L.A.’s group effort proved to be too much to handle, defeating Houston 104-98.
It was a low scoring battle as both defenses put forth tremendous effort and coordination. Despite a stacked starting lineup, the Lakers’ bench led the way on offense, as Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith each came off the bench and put up 20 points.
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Luka Doncic also finished with 20 points, six rebounds and nine assists while LeBron James had 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
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With around 12 seconds left in regulation, James knocked down two clutch free throws to make it a two-possession game before swatting Alperen Sengun‘s shot out of bounds on the other end.
Amen Thompson led the way for the Rockets with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. As the 2nd seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets are almost guaranteed to clinch a coveted top-six playoff seed, it’s just a matter of when.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
