The Houston Rockets aren't going away. Houston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena, becoming just the 16th team in NBA history to force a Game 6 after being down 3-0 in a playoff series. The night also brought historical implications for Lakers star LeBron James. This was the first time since 2008 that a LeBron-led team has failed to close out a playoff series at home.
LeBron did what he could to kill off the Rockets. James tallied a game-high 25 points to go along with seven assists and just two turnovers, immediately fixing a giveaway issue that plagued him in Game 5. But LeBron didn't get enough help.
LeBron James' supporting cast failed him in Lakers' Game 5 loss
While Deandre Ayton was awesome (18 points, 17 rebounds), and while Austin Reaves provided some scoring in his first game back (22 points, but on poor efficiency), the Lakers didn't get anything from Luke Kennard (one point, 0-for-4 from the field), and Marcus Smart's six turnovers were damaging. In addition, the Lakers' bench outside of Reaves was anemic. Jaxson Hayes, Jake LaRavia, and Jarred Vanderbilt combined to score four points.
Houston, meanwhile, was powered by balanced scoring that featured all five of its starters finishing in double figures. Jabari Smith Jr. led the way with 22 points on 4-of-9 from 3, backing up his bold statement ahead of Game 5 that the Rockets are the better team in this series. Josh Okogie provided a nice performance off the bench, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 18 minutes.
Reed Sheppard (12 points, six assists) was huge late, hitting a clutch mid-range jumper down the stretch and shortly thereafter stripping LeBron for a breakaway dunk. Sheppard may have already made up for his horrific end to Game 3. He's playing with confidence, much like the rest of the young Rockets.
Lakers are in serious danger of losing this series in terrible fashion
Lakers fans are wildly uncomfortable at the moment. All of the momentum lies with the Rockets, who will have an opportunity on Friday to force a Game 7 and put immense pressure on LA. The idea of blowing a 3-0 series lead would surely lead to a nerve-wracking psychological state in the Lakers' locker room headed into a potential Game 7.
Then again, we've seen LeBron pull off the nearly impossible in playoff situations before. If there's a leader capable of coralling his team and overcoming the nail-biting experience that a Game 7 in this series would be for the Lakers, it's James.
It would behoove LA to avoid that entire situation and get a win in Game 6, however unlikely that feels at the moment. Maybe with one game now under his belt, Reaves will deliver an iconic playoff performance. The Lakers need something.
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