LeBron Laughs After Lakers Beat Rockets, Luka 40

LeBron James reveled as teammate Luka Dončić riled the Houston crowd in the Lakers’ 124-116 win, even posting a photo of a fan giving Dončić the middle finger on his Instagram story with laughing emojis. Dončić finished with 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds and hit a clutch step-back three with one minute left. LeBron was nearly perfect, scoring 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting, as Los Angeles rode the performance to a seven-game win streak and a 44-25 mark, third in the Western Conference. Merlin sees a potent mix of veteran calm and electric scoring that can unsettle opponents. When LeBron is efficient and Dončić flirts with a triple-double, momentum swings quickly. The streak lifts the Lakers’ seed outlook, but sustaining it will require tougher defense and bench contributions against top Western foes.