The Los Angeles Lakers are still playing the waiting game, despite clinching the third seed in the Western Conference.
The Lakers (50-31) head into their regular-season finale against the host Portland Trail Blazers (35-46) waiting to learn the identity of their opponent for the first round of the playoffs. That will be decided Sunday afternoon.
“It’s an accomplishment to win 50 games in the regular season in any year,” first-year Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “I think particularly in this year, in this Western Conference, it is. And it’s a credit to our players. Each one at different points in time has contributed to winning. They’ve all participated in a winning culture.”
Luka Doncic collected 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in three quarters to lift the Lakers to a 140-109 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night. The five-time All-NBA selection said he’s focused on winning the NBA title.
“That’s gotta be (the) only goal, and that’s our only goal,” Doncic said, per the Los Angeles Times. “I think we have the team to do it. When everybody’s locked in, you know, we’re a hard team to beat. That’s our goal.”
LeBron James added 14 points before gingerly walking to the bench while paying attention to the inside of his left leg. He sat out the final 19 minutes but showed he was healthy enough to offer a moonwalk in celebration of an Austin Reaves’ step-back jumper.
That was one of many celebrations for Los Angeles, which liberally doused Redick with ice water in the locker room.
The happy times are here again for a Lakers team that avoided the play-in tournament for the first time since 2020, when they last won a championship
“It just gives us a couple more days to be very prepared for whatever matchup we have,” Reaves said, according to the Times.
With nothing on the line, expect the Lakers to rest all of their key cogs on Sunday.
The Trail Blazers, in turn, have been playing out the string for quite some time.
Playing without its top six scorers, Portland fell for the seventh time in the past 10 games with a 103-86 setback to the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
“I thought our defense scrapped, holding this team to 103,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “I know they didn’t have to play everybody their normal minutes, but I thought we were sound the entire time. I thought we tried to share the ball. Did a good job with that.”
Jabari Walker scored 19 points to lead Portland, which played without Deni Avdija (thumb), Shaedon Sharpe (right knee soreness), Anfernee Simons (right forearm contusion), Jerami Grant (right knee inflammation), Scoot Henderson (concussion), Deandre Ayton (left calf strain) and Robert Williams III (left knee injury management).
“I feel like we went out there and gave everything we had to do what we can to help our team win, but came up short tonight,” Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan said, per The Oregonian.
Clingan collected 14 points and 15 rebounds for Portland, which will look to avoid a four-game season sweep by the Lakers.
