The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 98-78 victory over the Houston Rockets on May 1, 2026, at Toyota Center, securing the first playoff series win of head coach JJ Redick’s career.
Los Angeles entered Game 6 holding a 3-2 edge after dropping two straight contests. Redick’s club responded by limiting Houston to eight offensive rebounds and committing only 11 turnovers, two areas the coach had identified as critical before tip-off.
“The reason our team is winning is because of our team,” Redick said postgame. “Each guy is starring in his role and contributing to winning. I thought the collective tonight was awesome, especially defensively.”
Centers Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton anchored the paint after the Lakers made a pre-game adjustment aimed at slowing Rockets big man Alperen Şengün. Their rim protection helped hold Houston to 78 points, the Rockets’ lowest total of the series.
Leadership, Redick added, was another decisive factor. LeBron James and Marcus Smart sparked a “renewed energy,” while guard Austin Reaves returned to the starting lineup for a second game after missing time with a left oblique strain. “Whether it was LeBron, Smart, [or] AR doing everything he could to come back and give us that lift—each guy in some way led us,” Redick said.
The win marks the second consecutive postseason appearance for Redick, who guided the Lakers to the playoffs in each of his two seasons on the bench. Los Angeles fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Redick’s playoff debut last year.
Asked what the milestone meant personally, the 42-year-old coach summed it up in one word: “Gratitude. I’m so grateful to represent the Lakers, grateful for our players, [and] grateful for my staff.”
The Lakers now await their second-round opponent, carrying momentum from a series in which, according to Redick, “each guy had moments that helped us win.”
Source: LakersNation.com
