The Houston Rockets’ Bench Steps up in a Big Way in Game 5 Win over the Lakers

The Houston Rockets are two wins away from making NBA history after their Game 5 win and the bench has played a major part in the last two wins.

Apr 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia (12) during the second half in game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets' Bench Steps Up in a Big Way in Game 5 Win

Throughout the 2025-26 season, the Houston Rockets have won games by playing tough defense, dominating the rebounding battle, and outplaying their opponents. Also, for most of the season, they have had to rely on their starters to make this happen.

The injury to Fred VanVleet, which has kept him out all season, forced the Rockets to change not only their style of play but also their starting lineup. Having already traded away two starters for Kevin Durant, the Rockets were going to have to add someone from their bench to the starting lineup.

That, of course, led to the need to add two new starters following VanVleet's loss. Of course, Jabari Smith had been a starter all the way up until January of last season, so he was familiar with the role. The Rockets also added Tari Eason to the starting lineup, which meant Reed Sheppard would be the Rockets' sixth man.

Even with Sheppard on the bench, the Rockets have struggled all season to get consistent production from their second unit. They finished ranked last in the NBA in points scored per game off the bench and in minutes per game at 15. That led to Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson leading the league in total minutes played this season.

The playoffs have not been any better, as the Rockets rank last among playoff teams through the first five games. Again, that has led the starters to play even more minutes in the playoffs, especially with Durant playing only one game the entire series. However, in Game 5, the bench stepped up in a major way, playing a big part in the Rockets' win.

The Rockets’ Second Unit Has the Best Game of the Series

Throughout the first three games, the Rockets' second unit had struggled to score. Even with Tari Eason's 16 points in the first game, the Rockets were not getting much production from anyone else. With Sheppard’s and Eason's moves into the starting lineup for Game 3, the Rockets scored a series low three points in the historic Game three loss.

In the last two games, however, the Rockets' bench has stepped up, scoring 20 points in the Rockets' Game 4 blowout win and 18 in the Game 5 win in Los Angeles. The Rockets went only three deep on their bench, but all three players produced.

Dorian Finney-Smith, who has struggled all season, made two 3-pointers and played good defense on LeBron James in his minutes on the court. Game 5 was Finney-Smith’s best game of the series. The Rockets also got contributions from Josh Okogie and Aaron Holiday, who also both made big plays throughout the win.

The Rockets like most teams in the playoffs realize that rotatations will be shortend and that starters will more than likely play 40 plus minutes each game but if they can continue to get production from their second unit they may well make history Sunday back in Los Angeles as the first team ever to come back from an 0-3 deficit.