The Lakers have “recognized the magnitude” of every game they have to play as the season winds down, their coach JJ Redick saying they have to play each of them with an urgency to determine their own playoff seeding fate in the super-competitive Western Conference.
It really is simple for the Lakers: Keep winning and that will improve their seeding in the unforgiving West.
And win the Lakers did on Monday night, pulling out a gritty 104-98 win over the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. It was an especially significant win because the fourth place Lakers are chasing second-place Houston in the Western Conference standings.
LeBron James sealed the game with two free throws with 11.1 seconds left and an emphatic block of Alperen Sengun with eight seconds remaining, keeping the Lakers ahead by four.
James finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
But two role players helped swing critical momentum in the Lakers' favor.
Dorian Finney-Smith came off the bench to score a season high 20 points, making a season-best six of 11 three-pointers. He rebounded the ball well (six), passed to open teammates (three assists), played his usual stellar defense (three blocks) and didn’t back down while while guarding Houston 6-foot-11 center Steve Adams. They pushed and shoved each other, getting technical fouls midway through the third quarter.
Finney-Smith completed his night making two free throws with 3.2 seconds left to seal the final score.
Gabe Vincent came off the bench to contribute 20 points, hitting six of 13 three-pointers to go along with four rebounds.
The Lakers and Rockets have split the first two games of the season and play once more at Crypto.com Arena on April 11. It will be another important game that will determine the seeding tiebreaker if the two teams end the season with identical records.
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After the win, the Lakers ...
