The Los Angeles Lakers blew a golden opportunity to end their first round playoff series, falling to the Houston Rockets 99-93 in Game 5. LeBron James led the way scoring wise with 25 points, but for a team that has been carried by their offense for most of the season, the Lakers were unable to get going.
The Lakers shot just 42% from the field and 26% from 3-point range. Things were especially rough in the second and third quarters where the Lakers combined to score just 39 points and James made it clear that for as important as locking in defensively is, they have to make shots as well.
“Yeah, I mean, we had some opportunities to make some shots we didn’t make, obviously,” he said. “Think were generating good shots. As much as we gotta defend, we also gotta score in this game too and I don’t think we did that at a good rate, especially in the second and third [quarters].”
The concerning part for the Lakers now is that the Rockets have a ton of confidence that they can come back and win this series. James was willing to give them credit for their Game 5 performance and emphasized that it’s now the Lakers’ turn to respond.
“Listen, it’s one game. You give credit where credit is due, they’ve played well the last two games. Exceptionally well. We gotta answer the call.”
If the Lakers plan on winning Game 6, they will need to put forth a much better offensive performance. Luke Kennard didn’t hit a field goal while Austin Reaves shot just 4-of-16 in his first game back from injury, which often is the case for players who have been out as long as he had been. Marcus Smart also committed six of the team’s 15 turnovers, not allowing the Lakers to build any momentum.
And it is a shame as the Lakers did do some really good things defensively, in particular keeping the Rockets off the offensive glass. Deandre Ayton was outstanding with his effort as he had 10 offensive rebounds by himself while the Rockets totaled just six as a team. The Lakers also held Houston to just 44% shooting from the field, but the Rockets hit 14 3-pointers while L.A. managed just seven.
If the Lakers can maintain that defensive effort in Game 6 they can go into Houston and take that game, but as James said they have to score too and they must put together a much better performance if they want to prevent a Game 7.
LeBron James shifting focus to Game 6
After the Game 5 loss, James emphasized the need to get past it so they can get ready for Game 6 on Friday night.
“Next game, try to flush this one,” he said of the message. “Obviously, we gotta learn from our mistakes. I think we made some mistakes tonight, too many and not too many unforced mistakes. So, we gotta be better on Friday.”
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