Lakers win their 50th, clinch No. 3 in Western Conference

The Lakers’ Luka Doncic puts up a shot over the Rockets’ David Roddy during Friday’s game at Crypto.com Arena. Doncic scored 39 points in the Lakers’ victory. photos by Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images

The Lakers’ Austin Reaves, who had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals, drives inside to score on a layup against the Rockets in Friday night’s 140-109 victory.

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By Khobi Price

kprice@scng.com

LOS ANGELES — The reward, and challenge, for the Lakers on Friday were laid out pretty clearly for them before their final regular-season home game against the Houston Rockets.

Win and the Lakers would not only secure their first 50-win season since capturing the 2019-20 NBA championship, and their first in a 82-game season in over a decade, but they’d also secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference’s playoff bracket.

The challenge: bringing the same level of intensity, especially on the defensive end of the floor, against a Rockets team that sat most of its rotation players, with Houston having already clinched the West’s No. 2 seed earlier in the week.

“We have not consistently had the same defensive mindset approach to some teams versus the great teams,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said pregame. “We gotta have that (on Friday).”

And after a shaky start, the Lakers (50-31) accomplished their goal, blowing out the Rockets 140-109 at Crypto.com Arena.

Luka Doncic, clearly still in rhythm after his 45-point performance in his return to Dallas on Wednesday, led the Lakers with 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Doncic shot 13 of 19 from the field, including 5 for 9 on 3-pointers.

Austin Reaves added 23 points (9-of-15 shooting, 3 for 6 on 3s), seven rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals.

LeBron James had 14 points (6 for 11), eight assists and four rebounds, playing just 22 minutes after appearing to hurt his left side midway through the third quarter and subbing out with 7:27 left in the quarter.

The 40-year-old James appeared to be OK later even though he didn’t return, moonwalking from underneath the basket back to the Lakers’ bench after Reaves’ step back 13-foot jumper over Jack McVeigh to give the Lakers a 119-96 lead.

Redick took his main rotation players out at the 4:23 mark of the fourth quarter, with the Lakers leading 128-103 after Dorian Finney-Smith’s sixth 3-pointer of the game.

Finney-Smith had 18 points and three steals off the bench. Rui Hachimura added 16 points and five rebounds.

Second-year wing Cam Whitmore led the Rockets (52-29) with 34 points and eight rebounds.

Houston sat Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason.