Luka Doncic elevated the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night and led them to victory over the Houston Rockets. 104-98.
The Slovenian superstar had 20 points and nine assists. Guard Gabe Vincent added 20 points on six 3-pointers and LeBron James finished with 16 points and eight rebounds
.The Lakers solidified their hold on fourth place in the Western Conference as they try to avoid being part of the play-in tournament. Curently, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets are above the Lakers. The Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers are close contenders for the fourth spot.
It was a tough battlle for the Lakers, as they faced one of the toughest teams in the Western Conference. The Rockets get their offensive power from Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet, while they get their defensive fuel from Dillon Brooks.
The NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2022-23 is known for his good perimeter defense and his confidence that can make him believe that he can lock down any players in the world, it doesn’t matter if its Luka Doncic or LeBron James.
However, confidence can only get you so far before the skills, abilities and basketball IQ gets the best out of you, and Brooks found out Monday night. Even though he was playing some feisty defense, LeBron and Luka beat the Canadian star almost every single time. It’s a match that could repeat itself come playoffs time.
If the Los Angeles Lakers want to make a deep run in the playoffs and compete for another Larry O’Brien Trophy, they will need every single ounce of talent, skill and shooting power from superstar LeBron James and All-Star Luka Doncic
The Lakers’ two superstars both looked weary Monday night against the Houston Rockets, which is why much of LA’s offense consisted of Doncic and James drawing defenders before kicking to Finney-Smith and Vincent for 3-point attempts.
It’s a formula that worked for the Los Angeles team, but in the playoffs they are going to pull something better than that. Contenders like the Thunder, the Nuggets and even the Rockets rely heavily on a mixed of young stardom with veteran talent, which could be a problem too big to handle for the Lakers
