Rockets defeat Lakers in Reaves’s return, force Game 6 in NBA playoffs
Key takeaways
- Despite the return of star Austin Reaves, the LA Lakers were defeated by Houston Rockets in Game 5 of their series.
- Alperen Sengun scored 14 points with nine rebounds and eight assists while Amen Thompson added 15 points for the Rockets, who now trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series after falling into a 3-0 hole.
- “Everybody feels amazing,” Sengun said of his team. “Nobody is tired and today everybody showed it.
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Despite the return of star Austin Reaves, the LA Lakers were defeated by Houston Rockets in Game 5 of their series.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Houston Rockets won their second straight elimination playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers [Mark J Terrill/AP]By Reuters Published On 30 Apr 202630 Apr 2026Jabari Smith Jr scored 22 points and Tari Eason added 18 as the Houston Rockets fought off elimination for a second consecutive game and crawled back into their first-round, Western Conference playoff series with a 99-93 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Alperen Sengun scored 14 points with nine rebounds and eight assists while Amen Thompson added 15 points for the Rockets, who now trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series after falling into a 3-0 hole. No NBA team has rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.