Rockets, up close

As the buzzer sounded to end Game 3 and the Houston Rockets walked off the court after suffering one of the worst playoff losses in franchise history, the series seemed to be over almost as soon as it started. Rockets has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in Canada.

Key facts

• As the buzzer sounded to end Game 3 and the Houston Rockets walked off the court after suffering one of the worst playoff losses in franchise history, the series seemed to be over almost as soon as it started.
• The Rockets found themselves down 0-3, and Kevin Durant was dealing with another injury on top of the knee bruise that kept him out of Game 1.
• The Lakers cold three-point shooting in Games 4 and 5 flipped their playoff series with the Rockets, exposing deeper issues and raising the stakes for Game 6.
• The Western Conference Quarterfinals matchup between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers has taken a bit of swings.
• Heading into the matchup, the Rockets were the overwhelming favorites to walk away victorious, due to injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

What we know

Going deeper, the Rockets found themselves down 0-3, and Kevin Durant was dealing with another injury on top of the knee bruise that kept him out of Game 1.

On the substance, the Lakers cold three-point shooting in Games 4 and 5 flipped their playoff series with the Rockets, exposing deeper issues and raising the stakes for Game 6.

Beyond the headlines, the Western Conference Quarterfinals matchup between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers has taken a bit of swings.

More precisely, Heading into the matchup, the Rockets were the overwhelming favorites to walk away victorious, due to injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

It is worth noting that the Rockets held him to just one point on 0-for-2 from outside.

By the numbers

At this stage, In Game 5, the Rockets made 14 triples, while attempting 40 (a 35 percent clip), the latter of which has been an issue for the team all season.

On a related note, In Game 4, the Rockets made 40 percent of their treys (on 12-of-30).

Going deeper, Anthony Duckett joined Rockets on SI in 2024 and has been covering the NBA professionally since 2019, with stops at FanSided and SB Nation.

On the substance, Everybody outside the Rockets locker room fully expected them to already be in offseason mode, if not by Game 4, defintely by Game 5 in Los Angeles.

What they're saying

“It helps when shots go in,” joked Austin Reaves, who returned for the Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday. “Bron [LeBron James] probably had three or four in the first half that went in and out.”

The wider context

On a related note, when it comes to the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers not rebounding, assist or paint points has decided the winners of each game it has been this one statistic that has stood out.

Going deeper, the Rockets had other ideas: not only did they win Game 4, but they went on the road and defeated the Lakers, even with Austin Reaves back in the lineup.

On the substance, the Rockets became only the 16th team in NBA history to force a Game 6 after trailing 0-3.

Beyond the headlines, Friday night at the Toyota Center, the Rockets look to become only the seventh team to force a Game 7.

More precisely, the two teams are separated by only seven total points through five games,with the Rockets holding the advantage after a blowout Game 4 win and a six-point Game 5 win.

The bottom line

• The Rockets found themselves down 0-3, and Kevin Durant was dealing with another injury on top of the knee bruise that kept him out of Game 1.
• The Lakers cold three-point shooting in Games 4 and 5 flipped their playoff series with the Rockets, exposing deeper issues and raising the stakes for Game 6.
• The Western Conference Quarterfinals matchup between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers has taken a bit of swings.