After ending a four-game road trip with two wins and two losses, the Los Angeles Lakers return home to play the Houston Rockets on Monday in a contest that will carry heavy playoff implications.

Monday night, the Lakers beat a Rockets team on the second night of a back-to-back 104-98. While we don't want to read too much into one game, this one shed some light on these teams heading into the playoffs because of its intensity. Here are my three takeaways.

Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent scored 20 points apiece and LeBron James hit late free throws to push the Lakers past the Rockets.

Come playoff time, the Lakers may need a bit more out of James offensively to take down the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder or the Denver Nuggets, but if he continues to excel on

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

After missing an opportunity Monday to move closer to clinching the Western Conference's No. 2 seed, the Houston Rockets get another chance Wednesday night when they host the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers won another game with heavy playoff implications, this time against the Rockets, and this time, they had to endure lots of poor shooting.

Luka Doncic has 20 points and nine assists and Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent each add 20 points and make six 3-pointers as the Lakers hand Houston its second loss in the past 14 games,

Get real-time NBA Basketball coverage and scores as Houston Rockets takes on Los Angeles Lakers. We bring you the latest game previews, live stats, expert picks and recaps on CBSSports.com

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers played the Houston Rockets (at home). The Lakers won by a score of 104-98. Luka Doncic finished with 20 points, six reb

Luka Doncic sent Alperen Sengun to the hardwood with a sweet step back late in the second quarter on Monday. The Los Angeles Lakers guard took one dribble to his left at the top of the key, then stepped back with a dribble between his legs.

LeBron James revealed that he was excited to suit up with Luka Dončić on the Los Angeles Lakers due to the star forward's style of play. "Because he plays the game how I've always wanted to inspire the generation to play the game,