Luka Dončić solidifies Los Angeles Lakers in third place in the West

Luka Doncic led the Los Angeles Lakers with 36 points in the 100-92 victory against the Houston Rockets in the early hours of Monday, in the first game of a two-match series between two teams fighting to position themselves in the Western Conference playoffs.

The Los Angeles team now moves ahead by a game and a half over Houston in the battle for the third spot in the West. The game had a playoff atmosphere, with up to 13 lead changes, but the Lakers ultimately imposed their rhythm to secure their sixth consecutive victory.

LeBron James was crucial in the final stretch, finding Marcus Smart in the corner for a three-pointer that brought the score to 94-90 with two minutes remaining. James finished the game with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

Doncic changed the course of the game at the end of the third quarter, hitting two consecutive three-pointers that allowed the Lakers to finish that period with a lead (83-80), after trailing at halftime (57-51). The Slovenian player made 4 out of 12 from beyond the arc and is now 11 away from tying the franchise record, held by D’Angelo Russell with 226 in a season.

The guard continues his great form, marking his sixth consecutive game with at least 30 points, although this time he fell just short of reaching his twelfth game of the season with 40 or more. In total, he scored 14 of his 27 field goal attempts.

Best Performances from the Rockets

For the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. led the scoring with 22 points, while Amen Thompson contributed 19 and Kevin Durant added 18. The Texan team paid the price for their turnovers, committing 24, double the 12 of the Lakers.

Houston was without Alperen Sengun due to lower back issues. The center averages 20.2 points per game, second only to Durant on the team.

It's worth noting that the Rockets took the first meeting of the season between the two teams, winning 119-96 in Los Angeles on December 25.

The next matchup between the two teams will take place on Wednesday, this time in Houston.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Luka Doncic asienta a Los Angeles Lakers en la tercera plaza del Oeste