Mike D’Antoni may have only officially been the head coach of the L.A. Lakers for a few days but already, his influence can be seen and felt on the Lakers court. That much has been evident throughout his current stint as head coach, even if it has been only a short run so far. But it may not have been any clearer than it was on Sunday night, as the Lakers routed past the Rockets, and defeated them 119-108.

Kobe Bryant had an outstanding night with 22 points altogether, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. During the game, Bryant also reached for his 18th career triple-double, which gave the Lakers a huge edge in the win; as well as three of the 10 steals the Lakers made during the game.

D’Antoni isn’t even on the court yet, or on the players’ bench. Instead, he waits and watches in the Lakers’ locker room, due to recent knee surgery, in which he had one replaced. Bernie Bickerstaff, the interim coach, is instead taking the place on the bench, but that doesn’t mean that D’Antoni’s drive and spirit can’t be felt. The plays being made on the court now are vastly different than what they looked like even in October; and it’s D’Antoni’s playbook that the Lakers have to thank for it.

Jeremy Lin was also on the court, although playing on the side of the Rockets, and he went into the Lakers locker room afterwards to visit his former coach briefly. His words afterwards sum up why the Lakers are doing so well under his coaching style.

“He’s the ultimate players’ coach. I think he just gets it. He knows how to get the most out of his players. [The Lakers] will be just fine. What you saw tonight, they’ll probably be able to do pretty consistently, in terms of moving the ball and spacing,” Lin said.

The Lakers will look to extend their winning streak as they face the Brooklyn Nets tonight.