What Worked for the Rockets and Didn't Work for the Lakers in Game 5?

Houston took a second straight over Los Angeles to cut the series lead, 3-2. What worked for the Rockets and what didn't work for the Lakers?

Apr 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Aaron Holiday (0) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) 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 Los Angeles Lakers had two chances to put the nail in the coffin, but the Houston Rockets have stormed back with two convincing wins in the absence of Kevin Durant (ankle). The Lakers are on the verge of either ending this first-round series or playing a Game 7, up 3-2.

Los Angeles is trying to keep Houston from becoming the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, but Game 5's 99-93 loss didn't help its case. The Rockets were in control for almost the entire night, despite the Lakers getting Austin Reaves (oblique) back in the lineup. Luka Dončić (hamstring) remains sidelined.

But what worked for Houston? What did Los Angeles fail to do, or do too much of? Here is one thing the Rockets did right and one things the Lakers did wrong in Game 5:

Houston Rockets

What Worked: Doubling Down on Defense

After going down 3-0, the Rockets finally scrapped any sort of deceleration in their offense. That's because they went all in on the defensive end. In Game 4, Houston forced 23 turnovers and recorded 23 fastbreak points.

Game 5? 15 turnovers and 12 points in transition. Not as impressive, but 10 steals and five blocks back up Ime Udoka's strategy.

As much as Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard struggled, combining for 27 points on 9-for-26 shooting, they also notched seven steals. The Rockets let the scoring come naturally across the rotation without one go-to guy. The starters combined for 81 points, while Jabari Smith Jr. led the way with 22.

If Houston can continue to make Los Angeles uncomfortable in the absence of Dončić, the Lakers could end up having to play a Game 7 and be at risk of blowing the first 3-0 lead in NBA playoff history.

Los Angeles Lakers

What Didn't Work: Inserting Austin Reaves Into the Offense

Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart combined for an average of 41.6 of the Lakers' 106.7 points across the first three games in this series, shooting a combined 54.2% from the field. In these last two games, those numbers have dropped to an average of 14 of Los Angeles' 94.5 points on a combined 33.3%.

The two have gone cold as of late, but bringing back Reaves was a major mistake, because while he managed to notch 22 points, he did so on 4-of-16 shooting with three turnovers. He simply wasn't comfortable in his first game back from injury.

This isn't to say that JJ Redick should have kept Reaves from seeing the court, but for his role to be of this capacity amid Smart and Kennard having a (generally) great series is a risk that didn't pay off. He could become his usual self in Game 6, but Wednesday's loss hurts because if Reaves didn't get as much attention in the offense, the result could have been different.