Player Grades: Lakers vs. Rockets
Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 140-109 win over the Rockets.
In many ways, Saturday was a culmination of a fantastic season for the Lakers. Despite so many shakeups, none bigger than acquiring Luka Dončić, the Lakers stayed the course and, with a blowout win over an undermanned Houston side, secured a 50-win season and the No. 3 seed.
It’s been very, very rare in recent years for the Lakers to have such a carefree, celebratory game this late in the season. That alone made Friday a joyous night with the vibes at an high for the season.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
My grades are definitely going to be impacted by how great the mood is after this awesome season.
Rui Hachimura
32 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 6-8 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-4 FT, +15
Rui’s greatest contributions came when LeBron James left in the second half. He had some big buckets in the fourth quarter to make sure Houston had no run in them.
Grade: A-
LeBron James
22 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 6-11 FG, 1-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, +5
The obvious talking point with LeBron is the fact it looked like he tweaked his groin. No one seemed worried postgame, including head coach JJ Redick, which should put fears to rest. Plus, he’s about to get over a week off.
Grade: B+
Jaxson Hayes
12 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 3-3 FG, 1-4 FT, +1
There’s probably going to need to be a point that Jaxson, a career 69.6% free throw shooter, is going to have to start making them again. After Friday, he’s shooting 40.7% from the line in his last 15 games.
Grade: C+
Austin Reaves
33 minutes, 23 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 assists, 9-15 FG, 3-6 3PT, 2-2 FT, +17
Similar to Rui, Austin really took over in the fourth quarter sans LeBron. He put on a show, ensuring the Lakers not only didn’t need LeBron the rest of the way, but that Luka could stay on the bench, too.
Grade: A
Luka Dončić
31 minutes, 39 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 13-19 FG, 5-9 3PT, 8-14 FT, +15
What’s left to say about Luka, man? He was incredible from the jump and nearly dropped a 40 bomb in three quarters. As encouraging as anything else, his touch on his mid-range jumpers has been great for multiple weeks running now, too.
Grade: A+
Dorian Finney-Smith
30 minutes, 18 points, 3 steals, 6-9 FG, 6-8 3PT, +16
It wasn’t quite the huge night he had the last time these two teams met, but it was still a really good game with some important buckets to keep Houston at bay.
Grade: A
Gabe Vincent
21 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3PT, +25
Good cardio, Gabe.
Grade: D
Jordan Goodwin
23 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1-4 FG, 1-3 3PT, +21
A really solid night from Goodwin, who did a lot of the little things, as fans have come to expect. Fighting for six rebounds and handing out three assists are both big positives from him.
Grade: B+
Jarred Vanderbilt
19 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 4-5 FG, +12
Vando has had a couple of solid showings now in recent games, an encouraging sign heading into the postseason.
Grade: A-
Dalton Knecht, Trey Jemison III, Bronny James, Shake Milton
Nothing more than garbage time for these guys. With everything wrapped up playoff wise, though, expect some substantial minutes from these guys on Sunday.
JJ Redick
Consider this a bit of an overall season grade. Friday was the culmination of a coaching staff and head coach who has had this team focused from the jump this year and their reward is a top-three seed and home court advantage.
Grade: A+
Friday’s DNPs: Alex Len, Markieff Morris
Friday’s inactives: Maxi Kleber, Christian Koloko
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.