After a couple of losses, the Lakers finally finished off the Rockets, beating them 98-78 in Game 6 to advance to the second round.
Los Angeles went on an impressive 13-1 run to start the second quarter, giving them control of the game and they never looked back.
Now the Lakers will face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. That series will begin on Tuesday, May 5, in OKC.
The Lakers started this game by scoring a pair of baskets in the paint. Tari Eason started off hot
for the Rockets, converting on his first two shots, and after a three by Jabari Smith Jr., Houston was in front 10-6.
Points in the paint continued to be the focus for the purple and gold and after a dunk from Rui Hachimura, they had their first lead of the game.
Unfortunately for LA, Houston had a much more balanced attack. Alperen Şengün scored inside and after an Eason dunk, the Rockets were back in control.
With Austin Reaves starting, Luke Kennard was relegated to the bench and got his first minutes midway through the first quarter. He hit a corner three to give LA back the lead and end his two-game drought of not making a beyond-the-arc basket.
Jake LaRavia added a three of his own, making it a 9-0 run for Los Angeles.
Smith Jr. ended the scoring drought for the Rockets by knocking a pair of free throws, but LA was still ahead by five.
In the closing minutes of the quarter, the Lakers bricked all their shot attempts, but so did the Rockets, leaving LA ahead 23-18 after 12 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Lakers got their offense going with a LeBron basket. Jake LaRavi added a three and, after another basket by James, LA was on a 7-0 run and Luka Dončić was jokingly signaling for Houston to call a timeout.
The Rockets didn’t, but after another basket from James, they took Luka’s advice and asked for a stop in play.
Houston finally scored off a free throw, but LaRavia immediately responded with a fastbreak dunk. This second-quarter shift from LaRavia was his best play of this series.
The Rockets literally couldn’t score, missing 15 consecutive shots. Reed Sheppard finally scored on a layup, but by then the Lakers were up 38-21.
Sheppard scored again on a three and then Smith Jr. had a putback dunk to give the Rockets some offensive life.
The Lakers maintained their advantage with some timely baskets, including a gorgeous spin move by Reaves inside.
Slowly, but surely, the Rockets began chipping away at the deficit with some free throws and defensive stops. After an Amen Thompson layup, Houston was down by just single digits.
The Lakers continued to apply pressure on the rim and while it didn’t lead to makes, it did force the Rockets to foul and send them to the line.
In the final moments of the second quarter, LeBron dished the ball to Hachimura for a three and then scored himself to send the Lakers to the locker room in front 49-31.
LA came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half. LeBron scored on the first possession, Hachimura knocked down a three and, after a basket by Reaves, LA was up by 20 points.
The Lakers shifted into cruise control in the third, but Hachimura remained hot while the Rockets struggled to score or go on any kind of significant run. Reaves continued to look more and more comfortable in his second game back, beating Şengün to the rim for a smooth layup.
Add in an impressive block by Smart on Eason’s dunk attempt and it was becoming increasingly clear this wasn’t going to be Houston’s night.
The Rockets finished the quarter with a 7-0 run to give themselves a puncher’s chance entering the fourth. Still, LA was in full control, leading 71-55 with 12 minutes left to play.
The final period was more of the same for the Lakers. Hachimura hit a three to start the fourth and LeBron scored inside. After a Deandre Ayton putback, the lead was once again up to 20 points.
The Rockets continued to struggle, unable to knock down any shots. Houston didn’t make their second field goal until there was 6:57 left in the game.
Meanwhile, Hachimura kept on scoring on mid-range shots and was clearly in the flow state, slicing through the Houston defense.
Midway through the fourth, Sheppard hit a three. He was the only Rocket that had anything going. However, Smart responded with a three of his own, making it 91-67 Lakers.
Then Jaxson Hayes had a slam dunk and Lakers head coach JJ Redick cleared out the benches as the game was over.
Key Player Stats
LeBron was magnificent in this game. His play is the main reason this contest was an easy win for Los Angeles. He ended the night with 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Hachimura was a laser throughout the night, scoring 21 points and going 8-14 from the field with six rebounds. Austin Reaves struggled with his shot from distance, but got to the rim repeatedly to finish with 15 points on 7-14 shooting.
Ayton had just seven points, but grabbed 16 rebounds. Marcus Smart had a masterful game, finishing with seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist.
LaRavia had seven points, Hayes had five points and four rebounds and Kennard had three points, three rebounds and three assists.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
