After dropping their first game of the series in Game 4, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home and looked to close out the Houston Rockets in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers got a much-needed boost with Austin Reaves back in the lineup for the first time this series, but the Rockets still kept their season alive with a 99-93 victory to send it back to Houston for Game 6.
Marcus Smart hit a 3-pointer to kick off the scoring, and then he later hit another. Deandre Ayton was dominating the offensive glass early and had a pair of easy buckets to get the Lakers out to a quick 14-9 lead.
Reaves came off the bench in his first game and immediately went to work, drawing a foul and then finding Ayton for a layup. His first shot attempt was a deep straightaway triple that he drained. Reaves didn’t miss a beat in his first shift back as was fouled on a 3-point attempt and then took a charge to give the Lakers a 28-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Rockets hit back-to-back 3s to begin the second, and then Reed Sheppard made a deep one to give them their first lead with L.A. going cold offensively.
With the Lakers needing to get back on track, Smart hit a 3-pointer and then Reaves did as well to tie the game. It was a rough close to the half for L.A. though as they struggled to take care of the ball, allowing the Rockets to take a 51-47 lead into the locker room.
Houston stayed hot at the start of the third quarter, extending their lead to nine before a layup by LeBron James.
Despite a Flagrant 1 foul call on Tari Eason, the Lakers struggled to gain any momentum as the Rockets kept hitting big triples. With his team needing a spark though, James went into attack mode, quickly getting a double-digit deficit down to five.
That was short-lived as the Rockets again ended a quarter strong, taking a 76-67 lead into the fourth.
The Rockets just continued to hit big shots as triples by Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. got the advantage back to double digits with the Lakers starting to fade.
It got to the point where the Lakers had to make a run or they would run out of time, and Rui Hachimura got it started with a 3. Ayton and James then had back-to-back layups and all of a sudden the deficit was just three.
When his team needed it most, Sheppard hit a midrange shot and then stole it from James, leading to an easy layup. Whatever momentum the Lakers had was immediately taken away, and Houston went on to get the win.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will now have to get on a flight to Houston for Game 6 on Friday night as they get another opportunity to close out the Rockets on the road before a potential Game 7 back in L.A.
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