LOS ANGELES — Up five with 2 ½ minutes left and the Houston Rockets got exactly the kind of game-changing play you would expect: a Reed Sheppard steal. LeBron James rubbed off a screen, headed downhill and there was Sheppard, all (listed) 6′ 2″, (allegedly) 185 pounds of him stepping in, ripping the ball away from James, jogging ahead for a dunk to stretch the lead to seven and put away a 99–93 Game 5 win.
“Too many unforced mistakes,” James said.
Said JJ Redick, “It’s the first team to win four games in a series. We happen to have won the first three. They happen to have won the last two. We’ve got to be better.”
Enjoy that flight back to Houston, Lakers. You deserve it. No hot towels for you. No in-flight snacks. Handed a chance to send the Rockets packing, L.A. kicked it away. Gifted an opportunity to get James’s 41-year-old legs a few extra days of rest, and they blew it. On Wednesday, Kevin Durant watched his third straight game in street clothes. Now the Lakers have to spend the next two days wondering if Durant will be healthy enough to be in uniform.
“They made plays,” James said, shrugging. “Flush this one out, learn from our mistakes.”
This one might get clogged. James scored 25 points … but was 0 of 6 from three-point range. Austin Reaves, playing in his first game in a month, was 4 of 16 from the floor. The Lakers’ starting backcourt of Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard had more than twice as many turnovers (seven) as made shots (three). “The missed shots really deflated us,” said Deandre Ayton. In the first two games of this series, Kennard scored 50 points on 17 of 26 shooting. In the last three, he’s scored 22, on 7 of 24 from the floor.
“Our defense, you hope 99 is enough to win,” said Redick. “And we just couldn’t make shots.”
Credit the Rockets. They know they put themselves in this hole. “We’re obviously the better team,” Jabari Smith Jr. said on Tuesday. A meltdown in the final minute of Game 3 is all that is standing in the way of Houston holding a 3–2 lead. With the season on the line, Ime Udoka leaned on his starters. Smith scored 22 points in 42 minutes. Alperen Şengün scored 14 in 43. Amen Thompson collected 15 while hounding the Lakers’ backcourt for 46 grueling minutes. In the fourth quarter, Thompson and Sheppard combined for 10 of the Rockets’ 23 points.
Said Udoka, “I just want those guys to be comfortable under the pressure.”
Defensively, Houston dug in. The Lakers shot 42% from the floor. That’s bad. They connected on 26% of their threes. That’s worse. “We’ve just been locking in the last few games,” said Smith. “And I think it’s been working.” Houston forced 15 turnovers, scoring 18 points. Every time Los Angeles surged, the Rockets were there to get a stop.
“We understand this team and how they play,” said Smart. “They are very aggressive. We have got to take care of the basketball … if you can’t get a shot up on the rim, that’s always going to hurt.”
Suddenly, the Rockets are playing with confidence. In the fourth quarter, Şengün got into it with James when James was at the free throw line. “Anybody else can talk trash,” James barked at Şengün, “not you.” In recent days, Şengün has played up Houston’s youth. After the game, Şengün told ESPN, “Nobody is tired … we are going to protect home and come back for Game 7.”
Indeed, Houston sees an opening. Udoka said before the series the mantra was to win the hustle plays. The Rockets lost those battles in the first three games. They believe they have won them in the last two. Houston’s pressure “is starting to wear [the Lakers] down a little bit,” Udoka said. The maturity issues that cost the Rockets Game 3 have been less evident. With under two minutes left, Udoka pulled Sheppard and Thompson aside. “I wanted those two to know they had to control the game,” said Udoka. Down the stretch, they did.
“It felt good to come out here with that sense of urgency,” said Smith. “Just doing whatever it takes to win. We rallied together, stayed together, stayed with it throughout the game, and we came out with [win].”
Now it’s the Lakers’ turn to respond. L.A. is still in a strong position. Reaves will be better next time out and James is the best closer on the floor. But Kennard’s cold shooting is a problem and the Lakers need more from the bench. Houston has claimed the momentum in this series. Los Angeles will have to scrap to get it back. “We knew this was going to be a tough series,” said Smart. “And it’s turned out to be exactly what we expected. Now the fun begins.”
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