The Los Angeles Lakers capped off a dramatic regular season with a statement win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night, clinching the Pacific Division title and locking up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. With their 50th win of the season, the Lakers hit a key milestone—and celebrated in unforgettable fashion.
Inside the locker room, cheers erupted as the team soaked in the moment—literally. Head coach JJ Redick, drenched and donning a green Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt, joked about the damage from the champagne and ice bucket showers:
“Hopefully, in the next nine days, the $17,000 in carpet damage can get fixed,” Redick laughed. “There were about eight ice buckets put on me.”
The celebration was well-earned. Redick, in his first year as head coach, helped steer a revamped Lakers squad through significant roster changes, including a blockbuster midseason trade that brought Luka Dončić to Los Angeles in exchange for Anthony Davis.
Since Dončić’s debut on February 10, the Lakers have gone 19-12, finishing the regular season with an impressive 31-10 home record—third-best in the NBA. Their strong close to the season, winning seven of their last ten games, solidifies them as legitimate NBA title contenders.
“I feel like we can win a championship,” said Austin Reaves. “The reason is, I know everybody in that locker room believes that.”
Dončić echoed that sentiment after scoring 39 points in just three quarters
against Houston:
“When everybody is locked in, we’re a hard team to beat. That’s our goal—win it all.”
LeBron James, who didn’t speak postgame, let his play do the talking—teaming up with Dončić for 53 combined points in their likely final tune-up before the playoffs. The pairing of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with one of the league’s most dynamic offensive talents has ignited championship hopes for a franchise chasing its 18th NBA title.
“It’s an accomplishment to win 50 games in any season,” Redick said. “But especially this year, in this Western Conference.”
With their postseason position locked, the Lakers plan to rest their core players in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Portland Trail Blazers. They'll use the upcoming week to recover while awaiting their first-round playoff opponent, which will be determined by the NBA Play-In Tournament.
For a team that's been through multiple roster iterations and relentless adversity, the message is clear: they’re still writing their story—and the final chapter may just have a Hollywood ending after all.
“It feels like this season has been five years long and five minutes short at the same time,” Reaves reflected. “But no matter what we face, we bounce back. That’s what makes this group special.”
