Doncic, James star as Lakers reaffirm mastery over Rockets for seventh straight win

HOUSTON, March 20 ------ Luka Doncic had 40 points and LeBron James added 30 as the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to seven games with a 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets.

It’s the 10th win in 11 games for the Lakers, who also beat Houston 100-92 on Monday night. The Lakers led by 4 with about 90 seconds remaining when Doncic found James for an alley-oop dunk. Kevin Durant had a turnover on the other end and Doncic made a 3-pointer to push the lead to 120-111 with less than a minute left.

Doncic had 10 assists and nine rebounds to finish one rebound shy of a triple-double. James was 13 of 14 from the floor — tying the best single-game shooting effort of his career — and had five rebounds to give him 12,002, making him the 23rd player in NBA history to reach 12,000 rebounds. James also shot 13 of 14 for Miami against Charlotte on Feb. 4, 2013.

Alperen Sengun had 27 points and 10 assists for the Rockets in his return after missing two games with a back issue. Amen Thompson added 26 points and 11 rebounds as Houston lost for the third time in four games. Durant had just two points in the first half and finished with 18 points and six rebounds.

The Lakers trailed by 2 before Rui Hachimura and Doncic made consecutive 3-pointers to take a 113-109 lead with about three minutes to go.

Thompson made a layup for the Rockets before a dunk by Hachimura left the Lakers up by 4 with less than two minutes left. The game was tied early in the fourth quarter before James scored the first four points in a 6-0 run that gave the Lakers a 102-96 lead with less than nine minutes to go. But the Rockets scored the next nine points, with a 3 from Durant, to take a 105-102 lead with about 6½ minutes remaining.

Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Brooklyn Nets, 121-92, for their 10th straight win.

Gilgeous-Alexander was 8 of 9 from the field and was subbed out with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter with the Thunder leading by 38. The reigning NBA MVP extended his NBA-record of 62 consecutive road games with at least 20 points. Jared McCain had 26 points and Aaron Wiggins finished 17 for the Thunder, who led by as many as 42 and never trailed in the second game of a back-to-back. Jalen Wilson had 15 points off the bench and rookie Nolan Traore was the lone starter in double figures with 13 for the Nets, who have lost their last five games and 15 of 17. Leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) missed his fourth straight game.

Oklahoma City shot 53% from the field and 40% from long distance to improve to a league-best 25-8 on the road. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half to help Oklahoma City take a 60-24 lead at halftime. The 24 points were the second-fewest in the first half of a game in NBA history. Phoenix scored 22 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 3, 2016. Brooklyn’s 11 first quarter points tied a franchise record last set against the Lakers in Los Angeles on March 21, 2024. The Thunder led 28-11 at the end of the first quarter as they benefited from a woeful Nets offense that shot just 20% from the field. Prior to the game, coach Jordi Fernández announced that rookie Egor Demin had undergone a nonsurgical procedure to treat the plantar fasciitis on his left foot.

Source: mb.com.ph