NBA Notes: Lakers, Luka Doncic, Warriors, Kristaps Porzingis, Bulls

Lakers

Luka Doncic keeps doing Luka things. And the Lakers keep winning.

Doncic poured in 36 points as Los Angeles knocked off the Rockets, 100-92, in a game that felt a whole lot like late April. Playoff energy, bodies flying, 13 lead changes. You get the idea.

The win pushed the Lakers one-and-a-half games ahead of Houston for third in the West. More importantly, it’s six straight victories.

LeBron James? Still pulling strings. He finished with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, including a clutch kickout to Marcus Smart for a corner three that basically sealed it.

As for Doncic, he’s now hit 30 or more in six straight and is quietly chasing franchise history from deep. He’s 11 threes away from D’Angelo Russell’s single-season record.

Warriors

No Stephen Curry. No Jimmy Butler. No problem. At least not against Washington.

The Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak with a 125-117 win over the Wizards, giving Steve Kerr win No. 600 for his career.

Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 30 points, De’Anthony Melton added 27, and Golden State did what it had to do against a struggling Washington team.

Let’s be honest — this is a team headed for the play-in. The question is where the Warriors land, and nights like this matter.

Also worth noting. Sunday’s rest day paid off. Draymond Green, Porzingis and Melton looked fresh enough to handle business.

And then there was one of the strangest sequences you’ll see all year. A blind pass to nobody. Followed by another blind pass to nobody. Somehow, it ended right back where it started.

That pretty much summed up Wizards-Warriors in one possession.

Bulls

Josh Giddey is on a heater.

The Bulls guard recorded his fourth triple-double in five games with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as Chicago rolled past Memphis, 132-107.

That gives him 12 triple-doubles on the season, trailing only Nikola Jokic and Jalen Johnson. Not bad company.

Meanwhile, Matas Buzelis continues to come on strong. He led the Bulls with 29 points and knocked down five threes. Three of his top four scoring nights have come in the last three weeks.

Translation? He’s figuring it out.

Chicago isn’t exactly back in the race. They’re still 12th in the East and six games out of the play-in. But they did outscore Memphis 71-50 in the second half and finally looked like a team with some life.