The Los Angeles Lakers faced a second straight big game with heavy playoff implications on Monday when they hosted the Houston Rockets. They came into this game in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 45-29 record, while the Rockets were 3.5 games ahead of them in second place at 49-26.
The Rockets are one of the NBA's best teams defensively and on the boards, and true to form, this game was an ugly slugfest. Both teams had trouble making shots throughout the night at an acceptable rate, which meant that this game was decided on effort, grit and resourcefulness.
After the first half ended in a 48-all tie, the Lakers finally got their offense unlocked a bit and outscored Houston 34-29 in the third quarter. They took an 82-77 lead into the fourth quarter, where they once again went cold. But they were able to get just enough key stops to escape with a 104-98 win.
L.A.'s main stars didn't play well, but its bench, which generally lacks offensive firepower, came through in this contest. The team's reserves outscored the Rockets' bench 46-32, which was a major factor in its win. As a result, it now has a two-game lead over the fifth-place Memphis Grizzlies and trails the Rockets by 2.5 games in the standings.
These two teams will play again just days from now. With a tough schedule coming up for both of them, there is always a chance that the next meeting could give the Lakers an opportunity to move up into second or third place.
Rui Hachimura: D-plus/C-minus
Hachimura shot just 3-of-10 from the field and scored seven points, and he only contributed two rebounds in 31 minutes. He did, however, notch two steals to help the Lakers' cause, and he got loose under the basket for a dunk with 2:06 left in the fourth quarter to put them ahead by five.
Jaxson Hayes: D
Hayes had minimal impact in this game. In 14 minutes, he had three points, three rebounds and one assist, as the Lakers went small quite often. However, he did deliver a monstrous dunk in the face of Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun early in the third quarter.
JAXSON HAYES pic.twitter.com/I1nQInvgxn
— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) April 1, 2025
Austin Reaves: C
Reaves shot a decent 5-of-11 from the field, but he didn't assert himself as much as he usually does, and he finished with a very modest 12 points. He did chip in eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Luka Doncic: C-plus
Doncic could never really get his shot to fall in this game. He made just six of his 16 overall attempts and missed all but one of his seven 3-point attempts, which held him to 20 points. But as usual, he set up teammates by manipulating the defense, which earned him nine assists, and he got to the free throw line, where he converted seven of nine attempts.
In his spare time, he chipped in six rebounds and two steals.
LeBron James: C-plus
James, like L.A.'s other starters, was quiet with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, and he had just four assists. But he had five of his eight rebounds in the second half, and in the closing seconds, he came through in the clutch.
With 13 seconds left, the Lakers had trouble inbounding the basketball while clinging to a ...
