The Los Angeles Lakers had a chance to close out the series at home on Wednesday night but they ended up losing to the Houston Rockets at home.
That gives Ime Udoka’s squad a life heading into Friday’s Game 6. LeBron James put up 25 points and seven assists, but the Lakers’ shorthanded offense without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves couldn’t keep up with Houston.
Luke Kennard, who led the NBA in three-point shooting during the regular season, had a strong start to the series with 64 points over the first three games. However, he disappeared in Game 5, finishing with just one point on 0-for-4 shooting in 31 minutes.
The collapse made Jabari Smith Jr.’s bold pregame comments feel a lot more accurate than anyone in the Lakers’ locker room wanted to admit.
LeBron James dismisses Jabari Smith Jr., puts focus back on execution
Before Game 5, Smith Jr. told reporters the Rockets were “obviously the better team,” saying, “I just feel like from top to bottom, you can say it’s an opinion, you can say I’m biased, but I just think we’re the better team.”
The Rockets then backed up his remark with a tough road win, cutting the Lakers’ series lead to 3-2. In the locker room postgame, King James was asked directly about Smith’s comments and he had zero interest in engaging.
“I don’t care about [expletive] like that, bro. The game is played between the four lines. I don’t give a damn who cares. I mean, why would anyone say ‘Oh, we’re not the better team’? Ask one of them young ones that question, I’m too old for that,” the 41-year-old said.
Then, he focused on the Lakers’ own mistakes. He pointed to poor shot selection and a lack of discipline, especially during the second and third quarters. He noted that the team missed too many open opportunities and needs to be much sharper in the next match.
Game 6 tips off Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET in Houston on Prime Video. With Doncic officially out, the pressure is on James to close out the series since his teammates have struggled over the last two games.