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Game 5 Top Scorers Comparison
Comparison of top scorers for both teams in the recent playoff match.
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Lakers Face Elimination: Rockets Force Game 6 in NBA Playoffs | News ...
The Houston Rockets staved off elimination Wednesday night, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 99-93 to force a Game 6 in their first-round NBA playoff series. Despite the return of Austin Reaves to the Lakers lineup after a nine-game injury absence, the team committed 15 turnovers, contributing to their defeat.
Lakers fall to Rockets in Game 5 despite Austin Reaves' return
The Lakers’ mission was to take the Rockets’ postseason life away. But the Rockets are still breathing. And very much alive and confident after beating the Lakers 99-93 on the Lakers homecourt in a pivotal Game 5 to extend the best-of-seven first round playoff series by at least one more game, with the series shifting back to Houston with the Lakers leading 3-2. “You gotta give them a lot of credit,” coach JJ Redick said. “They made shots, including some guys who normally don’t make 3s. Our defense, you hope 99 is enough to win, and we just couldn’t make shots. Missed some layups. Certainly had some good looks from 3 that didn’t go down. But we’ll take a look at the whole process, take a look at the substitution patterns and figure out where we can be better in Game 6.” Even with star guard Austin Reaves making his return to the lineup after being sidelined since April because of a left oblique strain, the Lakers once again struggled offensively for the second consecutive – and 2 ½ games going back to the miraculous Game 3 comeback victory in Houston. Austin Reaves drives to the basket against the Rockets. AP Reaves finished with 22 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in 34 minutes in his first game since suffering a Grade 2 oblique strain in the April 2 loss to the Thunder, but struggled with his shooting and finishing, going 4 of 16 from the field. He made 12 of his 13 free throws. “I missed a lot of easy looks,” Reaves said. “We didn’t shoot it great as a team. We’ll watch film [on Thursday], get better. We’ll go try to win a game Friday.” LeBron James led the Lakers with 25 points and 7 rebounds, but missed a pull-up 3 with 12 seconds left that would’ve cut the team’s deficit to one point. Marcus Smart had 6 of the Lakers’ 15 turnovers. “Take care of basketball, we’ve been through this,” Smart said. “We understand this team and how they play, and they’re very aggressive and we got to take care of basketball. Myself, I had six turnovers and that’s unacceptable for me, especially with only two assists. Especially against this team. So we definitely got to take care of the ball. We got to do a better job, all of us, and collectively, and that’ll help us for sure.” LeBron James goes up for a layup. AP Deandre Ayton added 18 points and 17 rebounds. Jabari Smith led the Rockets with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of blocked shots. Alperen Sengun puts up a hook shot in the paint. AP What it means The Rockets are one of just nine team...
NBA Playoffs: Rockets beat Lakers in Game 5, avoid elimination anew
Houston Rockets beat the Lakers 99-93 victory in Game 5, trimming Los Angeles' lead in the NBA first-round playoffs series to 3-2.
NBA Playoffs scores and results: Houston Rockets defeat Los Angeles ...
The Houston Rockets have kept their season alive with a 99-93 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5, with the series now heading back to Houston in a must-win game 6. Across the league, the ...
