Luka Doncic scored 36 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-92 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night in the opener of a two-game series between teams fighting for Western Conference playoff position.

The Lakers beat the Rockets to win the tiebreaker and now have the inside track for the No. 3 seed if the teams were to finish in a tie.

The Rockets are just 12-18 ATS as the home favorite but 23-7 straight up in that situation. The Rockets are an NBA-best 19-6 straight up after a loss, and the Lakers will have a difficult time beating them twice in a row on the road.

Although the Houston Rockets had all the incentive and motivation, they were unable to slow down or stop Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets gear up for a second meeting in the span of three nights with a Wednesday night tip in Houston. The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. CT) with TV coverage on ESPN and streaming on-demand.

The Lakers were again better in crunch time to sweep a two-game set against the Rockets and own the head-to-head tiebreaker by taking the season series.

Game summary of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets NBA game, final score 124-116, from March 18, 2026 on ESPN.