Three Takeaways from the Rockets' Season-Ending Blowout Loss to Lakers in Game 6

The Houston Rockets’ season inevitably came to a bitter end in Toyota Center with a 20-point loss in Game 6 of the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-78.

It was a terrible offensive display from the Rockets, who were unable to extend the series further. After going down 3-0, Houston was not the team to make history even after getting the Lakers back to its gym on Friday night thanks to two straight wins.

The Rockets lost in familiar fashion, where season-long struggles came back to plague them. Kevin Durant only played one playoff game in the whole series due to injury, and the young core was not able to keep the momentum going.

Here are three takeaways from this season-ending loss.

Lakers Were Just Better

May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James (23) handles the ball against Houston Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (2) during the second quarter of game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

It seemed like the Lakers’ season was on the line at times compared to the Rockets. The intensity and focus for Houston was not there besides the first few minutes of the first quarter. While Jabari Smith Jr. said the Rockets were the better team, and that’s the right mindset to have, there was no doubt the Lakers were better in this one.

While the Rockets’ defense was solid in this game, the Lakers’ defense was on another level. The kind of closeouts LA had on shooters was what Houston did earlier in the series. The Rockets could not stop LeBron James at all. James was clearly on a mission, and Tari Eason was not able to handle the matchup in the post.

James had 18 points in the first half on 50 percent shooting. The 41-year-old superstar did not show his age at all against the young Rockets with a game-high 28 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Shooting was the deciding factor in this series, and Rui Hachimura demonstrated that to full effect with 21 points and five 3-pointers.

The Rockets shot a miserable 35 percent overall (28/80) and 18 percent from three (5/28), while the Lakers were just over 40 percent overall and 12/28 (43 percent) from downtown. The Lakers also had 19 fast-break points compared to the Rockets with just eight.

Rebounding

The Rockets got dominated at their own game on the boards. After a great start in rebounding, the Lakers took over. Houston was the best rebounding team in the regular season but didn’t look the part at all. The Lakers got multiple offensive rebounds from an unlikely source: Luke Kennard.

That’s just unacceptable. Any loose balls were going to LA. The multiple chances at a shot helped the Lakers, who weren’t shooting particularly great. The Lakers had six offensive rebounds in the first half compared to two for the Rockets.

Houston in total got outrebounded by eight in the first 24 minutes. It was shocking to see the final box score of the Lakers plus nine in rebounding, 54-45, and 15-8 on the offensive glass as well.

Poor Offense from the Rockets

Only 18 points in the first for Houston. That is extremely low scoring.

The Rockets did not score for the first five minutes of the second quarter. While the Lakers defense was strong, the Rockets were just missing makeable shots.

The Lakers went on a 21-2 run as they took a massive 19-point lead. A disastrous scoring drought was finally ended by Reed Sheppard, who made back-to-back baskets.

The Rockets only had 31 points on the board at halftime. They only scored 13 points in the second frame. Houston was only 23 percent from the field and were 0/4 from three in that period. The Rockets also committed six turnovers in the second quarter and got outrebounded by five.

It was just a terrible shooting night. Some of the shots weren’t even that difficult. There were misses close and far. The turnovers did not help at all. While failing to make shots, the Rockets also gave the Lakers more chances by being sloppy with the ball. That issue had been resolved earlier, but it eventually came back to haunt them.

The Rockets had 10 turnovers in the first half that resulted in 12 Lakers points. Houston overall shot just 29 percent from the field and 2/11 (18 percent) from three in the first half. The Rockets had 14 total turnovers while Sheppard was 4/19 from the field and 1/10 from three. Jabari Smith Jr. was 3/11 from the field.

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