Kuzma’s late basket gives Lakers 3rd straight win
Despite missing LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers are keeping alive their slim hopes of trying to avoid the play-in tournament.
Kyle Kuzma’s driving layup with 6.9 seconds remaining gave the short-handed Lakers a 124-122 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday (Thursday).
The defending NBA champions have won three straight for the first time since the middle of March, but remain in seventh place in the Western Conference.
“It is time to tighten up the screws and get back on track,” said Kuzma, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. “We need to continue to play the right way and with each other, which will bode well when we are at full strength.”
James (sprained ankle) and Davis (groin) were not in the lineup, but spoke to fans before the game when the Lakers unveiled the banner for their 17th NBA championship before the game. They held off from doing it until fans were finally allowed to attend games at Staples Center.
While James and Davis reiterated the desire to win back-to-back championships, the Lakers (4030) could face a long road. They are one game behind Portland and Dallas in the battle for a top six spot, which would allow them to avoid being in next week’s play-in tournament. However, the Trail Blazers and Mavericks won the season series over the Lakers and hold the tiebreakers.
Los Angeles’ best hope is to win out and hope either Dallas or Portland drop their final two games.
Andre Drummond had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Montrezl Harrell added 16 points for the Lakers.
Olynyk and Armoni Brooks scored 24 apiece for the Rockets (16-54) and Kenyon Martin Jr. added 20. Houston has dropped seven straight and 44 of its last 49.
Blazers 105, Jazz 98
In Salt Lake City, Damian Lillard scored 30 points and CJ McCollum added 26 to lead the Trail Blazers.
Carmelo Anthony added 18 points for Portland. Jusuf Nurkic chipped in 11 points and 15 rebounds. The Trail Blazers won their fifth straight game and earned their ninth victory in their last 10. Portland moved into a tie with Dallas for the fifth position in the Western Conference.
Jordan Clarkson scored 29 points to lead Utah. Rudy Gobert added 15 points and 20 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost their second straight game. Utah now holds a 1 1/2 game lead over Phoenix for the best record in the NBA.
Consistently playing tough defense and efficient offense have helped the Trail Blazers surge up the standings over the final few weeks of the regular season.
“We’ve been defending. We’ve been sharing the ball,” Lillard said. “We’ve been able to sustain that level of focus and level of play for longer periods of time. That’s why we’re winning games.”