NBA roundup: Doncic leads in-form Lakers to win over Rockets, Spurs edge Clippers

[p]A crucial showdown between the third and fourth-ranked Western Conference teams ended with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-lakers/ngegZ8bg/"]Lakers[/a] pulling away in the final minute of the fourth quarter [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/houston-rockets-Sr9PQALP/los-angeles-lakers-ngegZ8bg/?mid=MFrMflZ9"]to claim an impressive win on the road[/a].[/p][p]The victory gives the Lakers (43-25) a valuable cushion over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/houston-rockets/Sr9PQALP/"]Rockets[/a] (41-26) as they jostle for postseason positions in the West.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doncic-luka/pQ4ZBK0o/"]Doncic[/a] was once again instrumental in dragging the Lakers over the line, while a hard-nosed defensive effort kept the Rockets' scoring in check.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/james-lebron/nuIVxFJk/"]LeBron James[/a] finished with 18 points and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/austin-reaves/xlCMu1nk/"]Austin Reaves[/a] 15, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/smith-jr-jabari/jsPugfKi/"]Jabari Smith Jr.[/a] led Houston's scoring with 22 points.[/p][embed guid="e4eb01db-46f7-427b-8e85-b91e03ed9e0c" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2033760362936312233" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]We held them to 92 points, which for this team is pretty awesome. We did a great job defensively[/b]," Doncic said.[/p][p]"[b]We could have done better, but all that matters is that we got the win. We've got to keep this going[/b]."[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-antonio-spurs/IwmkErSH/"]San Antonio Spurs[/a] relied on another balanced offensive display to edge the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-clippers/vPeTYlqm/"]Los Angeles Clippers[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/los-angeles-clippers-vPeTYlqm/san-antonio-spurs-IwmkErSH/?mid=UunUhS3M"]119-115[/a] and cement their grip on second place in the West.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/castle-stephon/Kzd3IGeT/"]Stephon Castle[/a] led the Spurs scorers with 23 points while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wembanyama-victor/jFmM1MFl/"]Victor Wembanyama[/a] had 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in another dominant all-round display.[/p][embed guid="c490d6ca-0b32-4328-b368-d7142bc6b949" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2033746349657636896" social-type="twitter" /][p]San Antonio have now won 18 of their last 20 games and clawed their way out of a 14-point deficit in the first quarter to take the win.[/p][p]"[b]They pushed us in the first quarter and sometimes the basketball is not working[/b]," Wembanyama said.[/p][p]"[b]So we had to get nasty a little bit[/b]."[/p][p]San Antonio improved to 50-18 and are firmly in sight of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/oklahoma-city-thunder/0fHFHEWD/"]Oklahoma City Thunder[/a] (53-15) at the top of the standings.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-celtics/KYD9hVEm/"]Boston Celtics[/a] maintained their pursuit of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/detroit-pistons/UcjMRj6J/"]Detroit Pistons[/a] at the top of the Eastern Conference with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/phoenix-suns-M1Gy2pra/?mid=U781iFSH"]120-112[/a] defeat of the visiting [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/phoenix-suns/M1Gy2pra/"]Phoenix Suns[/a].[/p][p]A game that unfolded as a high-scoring personal duel between Boston's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brown-jaylen/l88NjhUb/"]Jaylen Brown[/a] and Phoenix's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/booker-devin/4MFGDB1n/"]Devin Booker[/a] saw both men score 41 points and 40 points, respectively, before the Celtics finally clinched victory.[/p][embed guid="b0feaac2-6a4c-4245-97aa-f2bf7f4dd990" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2033738519542145326" social-type="twitter" /][p]Brown was backed by 21 points apiece from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tatum-jayson/t4Y4e7r0/"]Jayson Tatum[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/white-derrick/6ZkKkpYd/"]Derrick White[/a], while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pritchard-payton/SWoc4GBt/"]Payton Pritchard[/a] once again demonstrated his sharp-shooting talent from the bench with 19 points, 15 of them coming from three-pointers.[/p][p]Boston's second straight victory left them on 45-23, three-and-a-half games behind leaders Detroit (48-19).[/p][p]Phoenix slipped to 39-29 and are seventh in the Western Conference, just outside the automatic playoff places.[/p]