Luka Doncic puts up 36 as Lakers power past Rockets
Luka Doncic scored a game-high 36 points as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 100-92 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday.
The Lakers evened the season series with the Rockets ahead of the third and final meeting between the teams on Wednesday in Houston. Los Angeles also extended its lead over Houston for the third seed in the Western Conference to 1 1/2 games.
LeBron James added 18 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Lakers, who received a late corner 3-pointer from Marcus Smart (11 points) and consecutive baskets from Deandre Ayton (seven points, 11 rebounds) to seize control of what was a war of attrition in the fourth quarter.
Smart gave the Lakers a 94-90 lead off an assist from James with two minutes left. Ayton subsequently grabbed an offensive rebound and dunked, then sank a layup, building the lead to 98-90 with 43.4 seconds left. James added a transition dunk off the Rockets' 24th turnover and ninth of the final frame.
Jabari Smith Jr. (22 points, eight rebounds) pushed the Rockets to an 88-85 lead before Houston came undone. The Lakers aggressively double-teamed Kevin Durant (18 points, seven turnovers), and the Rockets could not adjust. Houston scored only 12 points in the fourth period.
Amen Thompson paired 19 points with 12 rebounds while Reed Sheppard added 11 points off the bench for the Rockets, who were again without All-Star center Alperen Sengun (back).
Doncic tallied 16 points in the opening period, but Houston found success on the interior behind Thompson, who had three dunks in the period to fuel the Rockets' 20 paint points in the frame.
The Lakers forged a six-point lead, but when Sheppard converted a daring drive to the basket into a dunk late in the period, the Rockets closed within 29-28 entering the second quarter.
The Rockets pulled even at 37-37 on a Clint Capela three-point play and moved ahead when Dorian Finney-Smith drilled a 3-pointer for a 49-46 advantage with 2:45 left in the half. The teams had combined for five lead changes and four ties in the second by that juncture, and when Durant scooped in a layup in the waning moments, Houston took a 57-51 lead into halftime.