Doncic and James power Lakers over Rockets as win streak hits seven
LeBron James slams in a dunk as the Los Angeles Lakers stretched their NBA win streak to seven games by defeating host Houston 124-116 (Kenneth Richmond) Luka Doncic scored 40 points and LeBron James added 30 on Wednesday to spark the Los Angeles Lakers over Houston 124-116, stretching their NBA win streak to seven games. Doncic, the league's leading scorer, added 10 assists and nine rebounds while 41-year-old James hit 13-of-14 shots from the floor for the visiting Lakers. "He pulled it out with big shots, big time," James said, heaping praise on Slovenian Doncic.
"He has been doing it all year for us and he has been in great rhythm since the season started and we just try to pick him up. " James, the all-time NBA scoring leader, delivered a masterful performance. "I didn't feel that great when I woke up or even when I got to the arena.
I was pretty tired from the last game," James said. "But once the competitive juices get going, we got it flowing and we just tried to make a few plays. " The Lakers (44-25), third in the Western Conference, took the season series tie-breaker over Houston (41-27).
Doncic and James each scored 18 points in the first half as the Lakers led 67-55 at halftime. James made four first-half dunks, his most since 2020, and went 8-for-8 from the floor to match his most baskets without a missed shot in any half since March 2011. But the Rockets rallied in the third quarter as Kevin Durant, who had only two first-half points, scored 13 in the third and Houston led 92-89 entering the fourth.
Doncic sandwiched three-pointers around lobs for dunks to James and Rui Hachimura for a 120-111 lead and Houston could not rally. "We have a lot of resilience," James said. "Even when we went down in the second half, they made a run and took the lead.