Lakers Hand Rockets One of the Most Embarrassing Records in NBA Playoff History

The Los Angeles Lakers did not play their best basketball in Game 3. They were sloppy, got outrebounded, had 21 turnovers and trailed by six with under 30 seconds left in regulation. Yet somehow, they walked out of Houston with a 112-108 overtime win and a 3-0 series lead that has the Rockets staring down elimination.

According to a viral post by Keerthika Uthayakumar on X, NBA teams were 1713-1 when leading by six or more points in the final 30 seconds of playoff regulation over the last 29 years. The only team to ever blow that lead was the 2024 New York Knicks. Houston speedran their way into that same record just one year later, making it 1713-2.

It took 29 years for one team to mess that up. The Rockets did it just 12 months after the Knicks did.

NBA teams were 1713-1 when leading by 6 or more in the last 30 sec of regulation in the playoffs in the last 29 years.

They are now 1713-2. Rockets are the 2nd team in 29 years to blow a 6+ point lead in the final 30 seconds of regulation, joining the 2024 Knicks. https://t.co/HLM8dOxuDM
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) April 25, 2026

How the Houston Rockets Blew a 6-Point Lead in the Final 30 Seconds of a Playoff Game

It started with a bad pass. Jabari Smith Jr. lofted a lazy lob near halfcourt, and Marcus Smart read it perfectly. Smart jumped the pass, got fouled by Jae'Sean Tate on a three-point attempt, and calmly knocked down all three free throws to cut it to three with 25.4 seconds left.

Then came another turnover, this time from Reed Sheppard. LeBron James caught it in transition, pulled up from three, and tied the game at 101 with 13.6 seconds on the clock. Rockets coach Ime Udoka called them horrendous mistakes, and he was not wrong. A game Houston had in the bag was gone in two possessions.

After LeBron's buzzer-beating three rimmed out, it went to overtime. Smart took over, scoring eight of the Lakers' 11 overtime points including a corner three and two clutch free throws off an offensive rebound. He finished with 21 points, 10 assists, and five steals for the second straight game. LeBron added 29 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.

Alperen Sengun put up 33 points and 16 rebounds for Houston, and it still was not enough. When your two best players on the night cannot save you from two turnovers in the final 30 seconds, that is a problem that goes beyond numbers.

Kevin Durant missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle but is expected back for Game 4. The Rockets will need him. No NBA team has ever come back from 0-3 to win a playoff series, and Houston just made that climb a whole lot steeper on their own.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on YouTube, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google