Views from the Game: The Los Angeles Lakers End the Houston Rockets Season

The Houston Rockets came into their third straight do-or-die game with renewed confidence after winning two games in a row to force a Game 6 back in Houston. Friday, the Rockets needed one more win to do something that only 16 other teams have done: force a Game 7 after trailing a series 0-3.

Earlier in the day on Friday, the news most expected came from the Rockets: Kevin Durant was ruled out for his fifth game of the series. Durant had played only one game in this series so far, Game 2 in Los Angeles, which the Rockets lost, and, to make matters worse, he suffered an ankle injury in addition to the knee contusion that kept him out of Game 1.g

Before the game, Head Coach Ime Udoka spoke to the media as the Rockets prepared for Game 6.

Pregame:

Before the game, Ime Udoka talked about Kevin Durant still dealing with his injured ankle and that he is doing “limited on-court work”. Udoka also told Rockets on SI how different Reed Sheppard's defense has been this season compared to last, saying it is “night and day” in how far he has come.

Rockets vs Lakers

From the start, the crowd was loud and into the game. The Rockets got to the basket, which led to several open shots, and Jabari Smith and Tari Eason took advantage. Rockets were able to get off to a 14-11 start after an Eason dunk off a fastbreak.

The Rockets went cold after that basket as the Lakers went on a 9-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 20-16 with under three minutes left in the game. Rockets struggled for the rest of the first quarter as they finished 7-19 from the field and could only muster 18 points. The Rockets trailed 23-18 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter didn't start much better as the Rockets' offensive woes continued. They missed their first several shots and saw themselves down 30-18. The Lakers continue to make shots, and the Rockets continue to miss them, as the Lakers pushed the lead to 19 points while the Rockets shot only 7-29 from the field.

Rockets tried to get back in the game with a mini-run, but gave up multiple offensive rebounds, which helped the Lakers keep them at arm's length throughout the quarter. The Lakers took a 49-31 lead into halftime as the Rockets shot only 29 percent in the first half.

The third quarter was much of the same as the Lakers pushed the lead to as many as 25, while the Rockets continued to turn the ball over and miss the majority of their shots. The Toyota Center crowd went from a frenzy at the beginning of the game to sitting in stunned silence for most of the second half.

The Rockets mounted another minor run to end the quarter, cutting the lead to 16 points at 71-55 heading into the fourth quarter. That was as close as the Rockets would get the rest of the game, as the fourth quarter was just a continuation of the first three quarters. A lack of shooting, ball movement, and easy shots missed as the Lakers were content not having to do too much on the offensive end as they cruised to a 98-78 series-clinching win and move on to the second round.

The Rockets, in the most important game of the season, have their worst offensive performance of the entire series and begin the process of improving the team over the offseason. After the game, Coach Udoka and all five starters spoke to the media.

Postgame:

First to the podium was Coach Udoka. He spoke about the first-round series loss, the season as a whole, and the improvements he would like to see for the team heading into the 2026-27 season.

Probably the most interesting part of Ime Udoka's postgame was his discussion of the future roster, what they need to address, and not just depending on Fred and Steven coming back.

“Do need to address some needs, the lack of shooting at times.”

Ime went on to say maybe looking… pic.twitter.com/uHJRQgD6Ci
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) May 2, 2026

Udoka also said that he and Rafael Stone would talk "asap" about what needs to be done this upcoming season. The other players who spoke talked about the disapponting loss to the Lakers the upcoming offseason and also being without Fred VanVleet the entire season. Here Rockets on SI asked Jabari Smith about how the team adjusted being without their starting point guard.

I asked Jabari Smith after Game 6 how much of an adjustment it was for the team this season not having Fred VanVleet for the entire year. Jabari talked the importance of VanVleet.

“It was tough we tried to make it work as much as we can. It was time where it looked really good… pic.twitter.com/cM31jIeq53
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) May 2, 2026

The Rockets for the second straight playoffs will have to watch from home as the second round starts next week. For the players and especially Udoka and Stone they begin the most important offseason for the franchise in several seasons as the Head Coach and General Manager try to figure out how the the team can make the leap next season from first round exit to legitimate contender.

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