The Lakers have “recognized the magnitude” of each recreation they must play because the season winds down, their coach JJ Redick saying they must play every of them with an urgency to find out their very own playoff seeding destiny within the super-competitive Western Convention.
It actually is straightforward for the Lakers: Maintain profitable and that may enhance their seeding within the unforgiving West.
And win the Lakers did on Monday night time, pulling out a gritty 104-98 win over the Rockets at Crypto.com Enviornment. It was an particularly vital win as a result of the fourth place Lakers are chasing second-place Houston within the Western Convention standings.
LeBron James sealed the sport with two free throws with 11.1 seconds left and an emphatic block of Alperen Sengun with eight seconds remaining, retaining the Lakers forward by 4.
Lakers star LeBron James controls the ball in entrance of Houston Rockets level guard Fred VanVleet in the course of the first half Monday.
(Ric Tapia / For The Instances)
James completed with 16 factors, eight rebounds and 4 assists.
However two position gamers helped swing essential momentum within the Lakers’ favor.
Dorian Finney-Smith got here off the bench to attain a season excessive 20 factors, making a season-best six of 11 three-pointers. He rebounded the ball properly (six), handed to open teammates (three assists), performed his ordinary stellar protection (three blocks) and didn’t again down whereas whereas guarding Houston 6-foot-11 middle Steve Adams. They pushed and shoved one another, getting technical fouls halfway by the third quarter.
Finney-Smith accomplished his night time making two free throws with 3.2 seconds left to seal the ultimate rating.
Gabe Vincent got here off the bench to contribute 20 factors, hitting six of 13 three-pointers to associate with 4 rebounds.
The Lakers and Rockets have cut up the primary two video games of the season and play as soon as extra at Crypto.com Enviornment on April 11. It will likely be one other vital recreation that may decide the seeding tiebreaker if the 2 groups finish the season with an identical data.
After the win, the Lakers are 2 ½-games behind the second-seeded Rockets and one recreation behind the third-seeded Denver Nuggets.
With seven regular-season video games remaining, the Lakers nonetheless are within the combine for a very good seed and home-court benefit.
“I think it’s intensified with the entire group — coaches and players,” Redick stated of the seeding battle. “That’s not to say that we need to talk about it every day. I know the players have talked about it with each other. We’ve talked about it as a group, we talked about it as a staff and I still think one of the hardest things in life is navigating control versus non-control. And in some ways, we can control what seed we get. We can control if we make the playoffs. We have to go out and play well. Even at this stage of the season where we’ve had a couple of bad stretches, we still can kind of control where we’re seeded and if we make the playoffs.”
By the half, the Lakers and Rockets have been tied at 48-48, with Luka Doncic (20 factors) making certainly one of two free throws with 1.3 seconds left within the second quarter.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 20 factors, whereas Dillon Brooks chipped in 16.
