EXCLUSIVE

Some more good news for embattled NBA star Ty Lawson ... who just got some dap from the judge presiding over his DUI case in Colorado.

Long story short ... the Houston Rockets star entered rehab last month following a DUI arrest in Los Angeles .... which came 6 months after a DUI arrest in Denver.

There was a hearing in his Colorado case today -- and in the judge's notes, he wrote that Lawson has been making "excellent progress" in the case.

Lawson's challenge will be to keep his nose clean in the coming weeks and months. There's no room for error ... considering a judge has ordered him to install an alcohol monitoring system in his home to make sure he stays sober.