LOS ANGELES — After the Los Angeles Lakers closed out their last home game of the regular season by routing the Houston Rockets 140-109 on Friday night to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Austin Reaves joked that the team's campaign, at times, felt like five seasons in one.
All the ups and downs and twists and turns L.A. endured provided Reaves with clarity as he looked ahead to the postseason.
«I feel like we could win a championship, to be honest with you,» Reaves said.
Luka Doncic, who scored 39 points on 13-of-19 shooting through three quarters, agreed with Reaves.
«That's our only goal,» Doncic said. «I think we have the team to do it.»
The Lakers made sure to enjoy their victory Friday night.
Coach JJ Redick had to change into a kelly green Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt before his postgame news conference after being soaked in the locker room as players bombarded him with ice buckets to celebrate the team's 50th win.
«The whole locker room is literally water,» Rui Hachimura said with a smile. «Straight water.»
Hachimura said Redick told the team that after he was hired by L.A. in June, leaving behind a burgeoning career as an NBA broadcaster and podcaster, he set two goals for himself: to win 50 games and to secure the No. 3 seed (76 of the league's 78 all-time champions were the No. 3 seed or better).
On Friday, he accomplished both.
«Just incredibly proud of our team,» Redick said after apologizing for the $17,000 in damages he estimated the Lakers caused to the locker room carpet. «It's an accomplishment to win 50 games in the regular season in any year. I think particularly in this year, in this Western Conference, it is. And it's a credit to our players. Each one at different points in time
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