Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets ready for important showdowns for NBA play-off spots

HOUSTON – With the stakes seemingly escalating with each game, the Los Angeles Lakers did not squander an opportunity against the Denver Nuggets to continue climbing the National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference standings.

Their 127-125 overtime win over the Nuggets on March 14 not only clinched the season series between the teams but also moved the Lakers ahead of the Houston Rockets for third place in the West, just in time for back-to-back matchups on March 16 (March 17, Singapore time) and March 18 hosted by the Rockets.

Los Angeles and Houston enter the two-game set tied in the loss column. They also have two fewer defeats than the Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers (42-25) have caught fire at the right time, winning eight of nine games to seize the pole position in a riveting four-team squabble.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (53-15) and San Antonio Spurs (49-18) have all but secured the top two seeds in the West, leaving the teams below them to battle it out for the two remaining home-court advantages in the opening round of the play-offs.

That ongoing skirmish has transformed the final four weeks of the regular season into a play-off-like environment.

“Our guys approached it like a play-off game, they played it like a play-off game,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of the win against Denver. “It wasn’t perfect, but they stuck with it. So the winning plays really stuck out.”

The Rockets opened a five-game homestand with a 107-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on March 13, a win that came despite All-Star centre Alperen Sengun missing out with a back injury.

Without Sengun – the Rockets’ second-leading scorer and leader in assists and rebounds – Houston had to go with a different approach offensively. Part of that involved Amen Thompson taking a more proactive role, attacking the rim and capitalising on perimeter opportunities when the Pelicans scrambled to occasionally trap Kevin Durant and force him to give up the ball.

The 23-year-old is typically a force in the paint and in the absence of Sengun, there was additional space for him to operate. The onus remains on him to take advantage when the moment arrives.

“I’ve just got to be aggressive, especially with Alpi (Sengun) out,” said Thompson, who scored 23 points and led his team in rebounds (12) and assists (eight) in the victory over the Pelicans. “I’ve got to get more rebounds... I’ve just got to be more active.

“I do feel like I’ve found my groove. I feel like my next step is being more consistent with it. Knowing what I like to get to and doing that every game, not just when I feel good.”

Another component of Thompson’s offensive growth is penalising opponents for leaving him open from the perimeter. He is shooting just 22.3 per cent from beyond the arc this season, but he nailed two timely three-pointers from the corner against the Pelicans.

“Don’t settle for it,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said of Thompson making the most of those open three-point looks. “Slash behind it if you can, but obviously those late shot clock ones we want him to step up and knock it down and be confident shooting it.”

Meanwhile, in NBA action on March 15, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept his record-breaking scoring streak alive as the Thunder rolled to an eighth straight win with a 116-103 triumph over the Timberwolves.

The Canadian – who on March 12 eclipsed Wilt Chamberlain’s 63-year-old record for consecutive games of scoring 20 points or more – finished with 20 points, 10 assists and three rebounds.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player left it late before reaching 20 points for the 128th game in a row, with 10 of his points coming in the fourth quarter after he spent long periods struggling for shooting accuracy, netting just seven of his 22 attempts from the field.

“At the end of the day it’s basketball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his lacklustre shooting display. “I went out there with the same aggression I do every night. More shots didn’t fall tonight... and usually that’s not the case.”

Elsewhere, Eastern Conference leaders the Detroit Pistons were upset 119-108 at the Toronto Raptors, as Brandon Ingram scored 34 points and Jakob Poeltl added 21 points and 18 rebounds for the hosts.

In Cleveland, top draft pick Cooper Flagg led all scorers with 27 points and added 10 assists to spark the Dallas Mavericks over the Cavaliers 130-120. REUTERS, AFP