Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Houston Rockets in a game with a playoff feel. It was in Houston, the crowd was loud, and these two teams are in the midst of a battle for that third seed out West, so the stakes were high.
Thankfully for LA, Luka Doncic answered the bell once again, scoring 36 points, to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and leading them to their sixth straight win, 100-92 over Houston. He set the tone early in this one with 16 first-quarter points. This marks "The Don's" sixth straight game scoring 30 or more points, and he is starting to look like "Playoff Luka" more with each passing game.
With how tight and talented the three-to-six seed range is in the Western Conference, whoever LA draws in round one — whether it's Denver, Minnesota, or Houston — it's going to be a battle. For JJ Redick and the Lakers staff to have Luka hitting playoff form with a handful of games still remaining is massive.
Luka Doncic is hitting his playoff stride at the perfect time
Come playoff time, this group is going to need the type of performances he gave Monday night. Doncic was locked in defensively, disciplined with the officials, and willing to take over the game scoring-wise.
His defense is never going to be elite, and at times, he's still going to be in the officials' ears, but as of late, he's taken a massive step forward by giving a better effort in both areas. For a guy that's giving the team 30-plus points nightly, if you're the coaching staff, that effort is all you can really ask for.
In the playoffs, there's going to be nights like this game against Houston, where Austin Reaves isn't giving his usual scoring production or gets off to a cold start. In those situations, it's apparent Luka can say 'I got us' and shoulder the entire scoring load, while LeBron James and AR feed him the ball.
Last season, Luka wasn't in his normal playoff form, and who could blame him?
He was traded by the organization he showed nothing but loyalty and love to. A year after carrying them to the finals, he was kicked to the curb.
Luka was not a bad player, but he didn't deliver the Luka playoff production we were used to seeing in Dallas. Now, after a full season wearing the purple and gold and with a clearer head, Luka appears playoff-ready already, and that's a scary sight for the rest of the West.