Lakers Slam Rockets 102-87, Defeating Them in Shocking Triumph! Rockets' Chiricahua Fail to Secure Championship!

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) scores a basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. HOUSTON — The resilience and execution in the final stretch of the fourth quarter continued the Lakers' momentum and win streak in Houston. The Lakers pushed to six straight wins after a gritty 100-92 victory over the Rockets on Monday at the Toyota Center, behind a team effort and a lifting performance by Luka Dončić.

“We’ve got to have a playoff mentality this time of year, and I thought our guys did that and they executed it really well,” coach JJ Redick said on the road win. Before turning up their effort in the second half, Los Angeles struggled to contain the glass against the NBA’s No. 1 offensive rebounding team.

The lack of boxing out and easy position inside created second-chance opportunities for Houston, which in turn gave them a six-point lead at halftime and kept their push throughout most of the third quarter. The Rockets finished with 23 second-chance points, to the Lakers' 11, while having 15 offensive rebounds. Then the Lakers flipped the switch and anchored down on defense.

The Game-Changer: An Executed 4th-Quarter Finish As the Lakers finished the third quarter strong, taking back their lead from down 10, in the fourth quarter, the Lakers' game plan was evident. Getting the ball out of Kevin Durant's hands. Every screen Durant got, he was met by two Lakers defenders trapping him.