It seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers were headed toward a collapse. Coming out of the All-Star break, the team got off to an extremely slow start, and it seemed like the season would go to waste. Over the last few weeks, however, they have turned it back around.
Winning nine of their last 10 games, they are slowly starting to solidify themselves as the 3-seed. Their latest win, a back-and-forth clash against the Houston Rockets, went down to the wire. After the game, the team’s best player, Luka Dončić, was not satisfied with the effort.
Luka Dončić Remains Focused Despite Los Angeles Lakers’ Winning Streak
A perennial MVP candidate, Dončić was not operating at his usual level after being traded to the Lakers midway through the 2024-25 season. This year, though, he has reached his usual standard of excellence once again.
On the season, the Slovenian superstar is averaging a league-leading 32.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.5 assists. Los Angeles stands as the 3-seed in a loaded Western Conference with a 43-25 record.
That record has been helped by the recent hot streak from the Lakers, who have won six in a row and nine of their last 10. Over their winning streak, Dončić is averaging nearly 38 points per game with a noticeably tighter effort on defense.
As a result, the team has responded, including in its intense victory over Houston. Trailing at halftime, the Lakers surged back in the third quarter before going through a bizarre cold spell where they failed to make a field goal for nearly eight minutes in the fourth.
Dončić, who finished the game with 36 points and an uncharacteristic four assists, was unimpressed even after the win. Speaking on the court, he claimed, “I think we shared the ball great, especially in the last quarter, where we needed to get.”
Down 57-51 at halftime, the Lakers rallied to lead 100-92 as the final buzzer sounded. Dončić focused on the defense, which held the Rockets to just 92 points on the night, and credited that unit as the main reason for the win.
On his individual performance, however, he did not sound altogether pleased with the effort. “I could have done a lot better, but all that matters is we got the win. We gotta keep this rolling.”
With just 14 games left in the season, the Lakers have the advantage of holding the tiebreaker against the immediate three teams behind them. However, they are tied with the Rockets at 1-1 in the season series.
As a result, their next game, once again against Houston tomorrow, is going to be vitally important and could help them secure the 3-seed for good. While the five-time All-NBA selection believes he can do better, that kind of performance could help them go a long way toward extending the winning streak to seven.
