Rockets Stave Off Elimination, Force Game 6 Against Lakers Behind Smart's 22 Points

Key facts

• Houston Rockets defeated Los Angeles Lakers 99-93 in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena.
• Lakers lead the best-of-seven first-round playoff series 3-2.
• Jabari Smith led the Rockets with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
• Austin Reaves returned from a left oblique strain, scoring 22 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
• LeBron James scored 25 points and grabbed 7 rebounds but missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds left.
• Marcus Smart committed 6 of the Lakers' 15 turnovers.
• Alperen Sengun flirted with a triple-double: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block in 43 minutes.
• Only two of the previous eight teams to force a Game 6 after losing the first two road games and first home game have forced a Game 7.

Lakers Fail to Close Out Series as Rockets Rally in Second Half

The Los Angeles Lakers entered Wednesday night’s Game 5 with a chance to eliminate the Houston Rockets from the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Instead, the Rockets delivered a 99-93 victory at Crypto.com Arena, extending the best-of-seven series to a sixth game and sending it back to Houston with the Lakers leading 3-2. The Lakers built an 11-point lead late in the first quarter, but the Rockets seized control before halftime and never trailed in the second half. Houston often held a double-digit cushion, weathering a late Lakers surge that trimmed the deficit to three points with three minutes remaining. LeBron James scored five straight points to narrow the gap, but his pull-up 3-pointer with 12 seconds left that would have cut the lead to one point missed its mark.

Reaves Returns but Struggles; James Carries Offense

Austin Reaves made his return to the lineup after missing time since April with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. In 34 minutes off the bench, he scored 22 points, dished 6 assists, and grabbed 4 rebounds, but shot just 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 his missed 3-pointer in the final seconds sealed the defeat. Coach JJ Redick acknowledged the team’s offensive struggles: “You gotta give them a lot of credit. 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.”

Turnovers Plague Lakers; Smart Takes Responsibility

The Lakers committed 15 turnovers, with Marcus Smart accounting for 6 of them. Smart finished with only 2 assists, magnifying the impact of his giveaways. “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.” Deandre Ayton contributed 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers, but the team’s overall offensive rhythm faltered for the second consecutive game — and for roughly two and a half games dating back to their miraculous Game 3 comeback victory in Houston.

Smith and Sengun Lead Houston’s Balanced Attack

Jabari Smith paced the Rockets with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots. Alperen Sengun, the 23-year-old Turkish center, flirted with a triple-double, recording 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, along with 2 steals and a block in 43 minutes. Swiss backup center Clint Capela remained on the bench throughout the contest. The Rockets are now one of just nine teams to force a Game 6 after dropping the first two road games and the first home game consecutively under the 2-2-1-1-1 playoff format since the league expanded to a 16-team postseason in 1984. Of the previous eight teams to accomplish that, only two have gone on to force a Game 7.

Doncic’s Absence Continues to Loom Large for Lakers

The Lakers again played without Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic, who has been sidelined since early April with a left hamstring strain. His absence has forced the team to rely heavily on James and a recovering Reaves. German forward Maxi Kleber also remained out of the rotation. Despite the loss, the Lakers still hold a 3-2 series lead and will have another chance to close out the Rockets on Friday in Houston. The series is the second matchup in the Western Conference first round, with the winner advancing to face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the winner of the San Antonio Spurs-Portland Trail Blazers series.

Game 6 in Houston: Rockets Seek to Force Decisive Seventh Game

The series now shifts to Houston for Game 6 on Friday. The Rockets, buoyed by consecutive wins, will aim to become only the third team in the modern playoff era to force a Game 7 after losing the first two road games and the first home game. The Lakers, meanwhile, will look to rediscover their offensive cohesion and avoid the pressure of a winner-take-all contest. Coach Redick and his staff plan to review substitution patterns and offensive execution in hopes of correcting the mistakes that have allowed the Rockets to claw back into the series. “We’ll take a look at the whole process,” Redick said. “Figure out where we can be better in Game 6.”

The bottom line

• Houston Rockets forced a Game 6 with a 99-93 win in Los Angeles, cutting the Lakers' series lead to 3-2.
• Jabari Smith led the Rockets with 22 points; Alperen Sengun nearly recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.
• Austin Reaves returned from injury but shot 4-of-16; LeBron James scored 25 points but missed a crucial late 3-pointer.
• Marcus Smart committed 6 turnovers, part of the Lakers' 15 giveaways, which coach JJ Redick cited as a key issue.
• Only two of the previous eight teams to force a Game 6 after losing the first two road games and first home game have forced a Game 7.
• Game 6 is scheduled for Friday in Houston; the Lakers still hold a 3-2 lead but face a resurgent Rockets team.