LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers missed a chance to finish their first-round series Wednesday night, falling 99-93 to the Houston Rockets in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena.
The loss trims Los Angeles’ series lead to 3-2 and sends the matchup back to Toyota Center for Game 6 on Friday.
Early boost from Smart, Ayton and Reaves
Marcus Smart opened the scoring with consecutive three-pointers, while Deandre Ayton controlled the offensive glass for a quick 14-9 Lakers advantage. Returning from injury for the first time this postseason, Austin Reaves came off the bench, drew fouls, and knocked down a deep three as Los Angeles closed the first quarter ahead 28-21.
Rockets surge in the second quarter
Houston answered with back-to-back threes to start the second period, and a long-range shot from rookie Reed Sheppard gave the visitors their first lead. Despite triples from Smart and Reaves, the Lakers committed late turnovers, allowing the Rockets to enter halftime up 51-47.
Houston maintains control after the break
The Rockets extended the margin to nine early in the third quarter. A Flagrant 1 on Tari Eason failed to spark Los Angeles, though LeBron James briefly cut the deficit to five with an aggressive stretch. Houston responded again, closing the period ahead 76-67.
Late Lakers rally falls short
Threes by Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. restored a double-digit cushion before Rui Hachimura’s three-pointer and consecutive layups from Ayton and James trimmed the gap to three. Sheppard halted the comeback with a mid-range jumper and then stripped James for an uncontested layup, sealing the Rockets’ victory.
James finished with 24 points, while Ayton added 18. Sheppard paced Houston with 22, and Alperen Şengün contributed 16.
The series resumes Friday in Houston, where the Lakers will get another opportunity to advance and avoid a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Los Angeles.
Source: Lakers Nation
