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Fans cheer as Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77 and fellow Lakers players take the court before a game with the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

Two games in a row against the Los Angeles Lakers resulted in disappointing losses for the Houston Rockets.

Kevin Durant and his team came up short on Wednesday, March 18, largely in part due to a Luka Doncic masterclass.

In 38 minutes of action, Doncic shot 12-25 from the field, knocking down seven threes. By adding 9-14 shots from the charity stripe, the Lakers’ superstar produced 40 points. He secured the double-double with 10 assists and came just one rebound shy of adding another double-double to his career total.

The Lakers controlled the game and defeated the Rockets 124-116.

It wasn’t a night where Luka was totally unbeatable in the eyes of Durant. It was a night where the Lakers had it clicking everywhere else on top of the Slovenian superstar’s performance. The Rockets caught LA at the wrong time.

Kevin Durant Gets Real On Luka Doncic After Rockets’ Loss

Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action during the first quarter of the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas.

Is Luka Doncic unbeatable when he gets it going, as he did on Wednesday night?

“I mean, he gets the ball every play. He’s going to get his points. He’s going to shoot whenever he wants. He can dribble all game. He pretty much controls the whole game. That’s just the offense they run, the type of player he is,” Durant told reporters after the game.

“He can do this every night. It’s that simple. With the amount of usage he hasn and the minutes he plays, and how talented he is, he could do this every night. … You can still beat Luka if he gets 40, 50, 60 points. We’ve seen this before, but I think when the other guys come in and start knocking down shots and being aggressive as well, and that’s based on the attention he draws, but when other guys get going too, it makes them even tougher.”

The Lakers’ supporting cast came through in a big way.

LeBron James’ performance was talked about just as much as Doncic’s. The 41-year-old forward checked in for 34 minutes. He made nearly every shot he took from the field. By going 13-14 from the field, James scored 30 points. He also produced five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.

With Doncic and James taking up most of the shots, the Lakers just needed efficiency from the others involved, and they got it.

As a team, the Lakers shot 61% from the field throughout the night. They went 15-32 from deep.

Deandre Ayton went 8-10 from the field to contribute 16 points. Austin Reaves was 4-9 with his shooting to score 14 points. Off the bench, Rui Hachimura produced eight points, making all but one of his four shots. Luke Kennard was limited in his opportunities in 18 minutes, but he was nearly perfect with his shooting as well (2-3 FG).

The Iron Is Hot For LA

GettyLOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 12: Lakers forward LeBron James, #23, right, congratulates Lakers guard Luka Doncic after he sank a three-point shot, totaling 51 points for the game against the Bulls in the second half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Lakers advanced to 44-25 on Wednesday night. They gained a 1.5-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves for the third seed in the Western Conference.

With that victory, the Lakers picked up their seventh win in a row. They are now 9-1 over the last 10 games.

As for the Rockets, they dropped to loss No. 27 on Wednesday. With a 41-27 record, the Rockets are in the fifth seed, with the Denver Nuggets right next to them. As close as Denver might be to passing Houston, the Timberwolves are just one game in front of Houston.

Once again, the Western Conference’s playoff race is extremely tight. Doncic and the Lakers took care of business against the Rockets this week, but Durant and his team are still very much a threat to LA.