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The Lakers have “recognized the magnitude” of every game as the season winds down, coach JJ Redick saying they have to play each with urgency to determine their playoff seeding 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 Monday night, pulling out a gritty 104-98 victory over the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. It was especially significant because the fourth-place Lakers are chasing second-place Houston in the conference standings.
LeBron James came through in the clutch from the free-throw line and on defense, with big-time contributions from key role players Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith as Luka Doncic fought through a poor-shooting night and a banged-up left elbow.
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.
“This year in particular, it’s so close and people are jumping each other, falling behind, whatever the case may be,” James said of following the standings. “I don’t do it every day, but it’s talked about pretty much all the time and you kind of see where you’re at. For us obviously, our mission is to lock in a playoff spot and not have to play in the play-in. So, we understand what’s at stake.”
Finney-Smith and Vincent played a huge part in the Lakers’ success against the Rockets.
Finney-Smith came off the bench for season highs of 20 points and six three-pointers. He rebounded well (six), passed to open teammates (three assists), played his usual stellar defense (three blocks) and didn’t back down while guarding Houston’s 6-foot-11 center, Steven 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 for the final score.
“It feels good when guys like [Doncic] and LeBron are telling me to shoot,” Finney-Smith said. “It could be the other way around.”
Vincent came off the bench to contribute 20 points, hitting six of 13 three-pointers to go with four rebounds.
“You just go out there and compete. You keep winning the most important thing,” Vincent said. “If you trust them [Doncic and James] to make the right reads, whatever it may be, and be ready to impact the game the best way you can.”
Doncic missed 10 of 16 shots and six of seven three-pointers but still had 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds. He said his elbow felt “terrible” after he landed on it several times during the game, but added he would be fine for Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
“We played hard,” Doncic said, “and we just went out and wanted to get a win.”
JJ Redick was brought to tears when he first saw the devastation where he rented a home and one day hoped to buy. Now he’s working to rebuild it.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 20 points, while Dillon Brooks chipped in 16.
The Lakers (46-29) and Rockets (49-27) have split the first two games of the season series 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 teams end the season with identical records.
The Lakers moved within 2½ games of the second-place Rockets and one game of the third-place Denver Nuggets entering Tuesday.
“Everybody is paying attention. Let’s be honest,” Finney-Smith said about the standings. “Everybody is looking at the standings. We don’t want to be in the play-in, so every game matters.”
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