Three Takeaways from the Rockets' Huge Game 5 Road Win over Lakers to Stay Alive

The Houston Rockets just aren't going away. This series is not over. After dominating Game 4 at home, the Rockets carried over the momentum to Los Angeles for Game 5 as they won a gritty contest, 99-93 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.

The Rockets became just the 16th team to force a game 6 after trailing 3-0 in the series. This was also one of the rare times LeBron James lost a potential close out playoff series at home. James had won 16 straight in this scenario.

All five starters for the Rockets were in double digits. Jabari Smith Jr. was the leading scorer with 22 points and was 6/13 from the field. Tari Eason added 18 points while Alperen Sengun contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Here are three takeaways from this win.

Strong Second Quarter

Apr 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) controls the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first 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

Austin Reaves made the difference for the Lakers in the first quarter with a deep three and a couple of drives that opened up the LA offense. He added eight points off the bench in the quarter.

The Rockets were down 28-21 heading into the second, and it could’ve been a bigger deficit. Houston struggled with five turnovers that gave up seven points.

The Rockets went on a 14-6 run to start the second quarter and eventually won the period 30-19. Back-to-back threes from Smith Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith made it a one-point game at the start of the second. Smith Jr. had an excellent block as well on defense. Finney-Smith made another open three.

Houston tied the game at 32 after two free throws from Thompson.

Reed Sheppard made a deep three-pointer that gave the Rockets the lead almost halfway through the second. The Rockets overcame the 11-point deficit early.

Sheppard also added a beautiful layup high off the glass and had a couple of threes. Josh Okogie hit a three as well. The Rockets did well kicking out to open shooters and most importantly, the Rockets made the open shots.

Okogie also had a nice cut and pass to Amen Thompson for the slam. The offensive execution was slightly better. The Rockets defense was strong on the ball as well and they got some turnovers. It gave them the momentum heading into halftime. Eason answered Hachimura with a big three as the Rockets took a 51-47 lead at half.

Both Smith Jr. and Eason each had 10 points at half, while Reaves had 11 for the Lakers. The Rockets shot 50 percent from the field, while LA was 43 percent. Houston only turned it over once in the second and was 6/12 from three.

The Rockets forced nine turnovers with six steals and also had four blocks.

Making Shots From Three

Both teams shot similarly from the field, but this category ultimately decided the game. The Rockets made double the amount of threes than the Lakers. Houston went 14/40 (35 percent) from beyond the arc, while Los Angeles just made seven.

Thompson, who is just a 22 percent 3-point shooter this season, made two 3-pointers in the game.

The Rockets aren’t usually a high 3-point shooting team with just over 11 attempts per game, but that was completely different in this one. Houston attempted 12 threes in the second and third quarter itself. That still made a difference as the Lakers were just 0/2 from three in the third quarter.

While the Rockets were 6/12 from three in the second, they were just 4/12 from downtown in the third. Some of the 40 attempts were due to offensive rebounds as well.

The Lakers went on an 11-1 run over a late three-minute stretch. Sheppard made a clutch pull-up mid-range jumper when the lead went down to three points and followed it up with a huge steal on James and a wide-open dunk.

The Rockets made some big free throws at the end of the game. Sengun knocked down both from the foul line. Aaron Holiday scored five points in the third quarter, and Okogie also chipped in with seven as the Rockets got some bench production.

Defense and Closeouts

The Lakers were led under 100 points once again, and the Rockets defense was in their face the entire time. Houston didn’t allow any easy shots and were up 76-67 heading into the fourth quarter. The Lakers shot just 26 percent from three (7/27). Every time it seemed like the Lakers might get an open shot, a Rockets defender closed out strongly.

The Rockets forced 15 total turnovers and got 18 points off them. Meanwhile, the Lakers only forced 10. Houston once again had double-digit steals for the third straight game with 10. Sheppard forced three steals, while Thompson had four.

A critical sequence took place with under two minutes to go. Eason was initially called for an offensive foul on Reaves, but it was overturned to a blocking foul after a challenge from coach Ime Udoka. That resulted in Eason going to the line for a free throw and staying in the game as that would’ve been his sixth foul.

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