The Los Angeles Lakers are hitting their stride as of late, and they have now won their past seven games, including their Wednesday night rematch against the Houston Rockets, 124-116. It's not like the Lakers have simply been beating up on bad teams; five of their wins during this stretch have come against tough opposition, taking home two wins against the Rockets, an overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets, and convincing wins against the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

There might not be a better time to be hitting your groove as a unit with less than a month to go before the playoffs, and they are strengthening their hold on the three-seed with this impressive stretch of play. Luka Doncic, in particular, has been dominant; on Wednesday, he poured it on to the tune of 40 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists.

Thus, there's not much surprise that so much confidence is flowing within Doncic and the Lakers' veins as of the moment.

“We always believe. Like I say, if you don't believe, you shouldn't be here. We always believe in ourselves, we're gonna go play every game like it's our last,” Doncic told Scott Van Pelt in an appearance on SportsCenter following the Lakers' win.

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Luka Doncic is in full control for the Lakers right now

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) leans on Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie (20) in the second quarter at Toyota Center.
Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Doncic was so unstoppable on Wednesday, as even the elite defense of Amen Thompson couldn't slow the roll of the NBA's best scorer this season. He has 12 40-point games this season and he scored 51 recently in a demolition of the Chicago Bulls.

When Doncic has it going, his teams become difficult to stop. The Lakers team around him is also stepping up and buying into their roles, with Deandre Ayton being humbled after recent events. The team is coalescing, and Doncic deserves credit for making the most out of the opportunity he has to lead the team.