Lakers grind out important win over Rockets

Huge nights from Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent and a strong defensive showing gave the Lakers a big win over the Rockets on Monday.

The Lakers made it two wins in a row over Western Conference playoff foes on Monday by knocking off the Rockets at home, 102-98.

While it was almost all their Big Three doing the heavy lifting against the Grizzlies, the role players stepped up big against Houston. Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent had monster nights off the bench, combining to hit six 3-pointers apiece for a combined 40 points.

Luka Dončić ended with 20 points, six rebounds, nine assists and two steals. LeBron James scored 16 points with eight rebounds. Austin Reaves ended with 12 points and eight rebounds. The trio combined to shoot just 16-38 from the field and 3-14 from range.

The Rockets jumped to a quick four-point lead off the shoulders of their big man, Alperen Şengün. The Lakers struggled to convert on their shots. Şengün kept having his way in the paint and was up to six points. The enemy of Los Angeles, Dillon Brooks, also drained a wide-open 3-pointer.

Los Angeles picked up their defense and it led to an offensive burst of nine straight points, giving them the lead. Houston was on a three-minute scoring drought until Amen Thompson made a layup.

LA then hit a scoring slump, going three minutes without a bucket. The Rockets took advantage, putting up five straight points. It turned into a low-scoring battle, with both teams struggling to find their offensive rhythm. Houston held a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter started with Jabari Smith Jr. catching fire, scoring eight quick points. Houston turned up their defensive pressure, forcing LA to work for their shots. Still, LeBron drained a one-legged three to help keep the Lakers offense afloat.

Jordan Goodwin ripped the ball from Brooks and converted on a layup. Los Angeles was down by four with under seven minutes left in the half despite shooting a brutal 17% from behind the arc.

Gabe came through once again off the bench, knocking down three 3-pointers for the Lakers. Although the Lakers were shooting 34% from the field, they kept it close. Meanwhile, Luka put Şengün on skates before dishing it to Dorian for a three.

A pair of free throws from Luka tied the game at halftime.

The Lakers opened the second half jumping ahead by four. Between both teams, five 3-pointers were knocked down early. Jaxson Hayes had a slow offensive night but did score on an empathic dunk. Brooks scored five points for the Rockets.

Dorian continued his strong scoring with nine more points off three 3-pointers. LeBron struggled to get going in the first half but found his rhythm this quarter, adding five much-needed points.

With three minutes left in the quarter, the Lakers played chaotic basketball with a few turnovers and missed shots. They were nursing a two-point lead that went up to five after another three from Gabe.

Gabe knocked down another three, which was his fifth of the game. Between him and Dorian they had made 11 long-range looks. Rui Hachimura had a rough time from the field but finally saw the ball go through the hoop for a 3-pointer.

At the end of the third, LA was up five.

The final frame started with the Lakers taking a seven-point lead but it quickly went away as the game turned into a slugfest with both teams playing well offensively. LA answered each time the Rockets got close enough to snatch the lead.

Thompson scored five points, helping Houston stay within striking distance. With 5:42 left to play, the Rockets made it a two-point game.

Three free throws, one by Luka and two by Gabe, put LA up by five at the halfway point. Smith Jr. nailed a jumper to get it close again. Los Angeles had gone on a four-minute scoring drought until a layup by Luka.

Houston broke down defensively, leading to LeBron finding Rui alone for an important late basket.

A steal by Dillon Brooks led to two free throws, but he split the pair to keep it a two-point game with 20 seconds left. LeBron made two clutch free throws to push LA’s lead to four with seconds left.

He also blocked Şengün on the other end. Brooks had a 3-point look late that missed — predictably — and DFS closed out his big night with two freebies.

Key Takeaways:

One thing is for certain, this Lakers team knows when they need to kick it up and get important wins.

Dorian and Gabe may win this team a playoff game or two with just their offensive firepower from behind the arc.

The Lakers’ next matchup is against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.