Category: NBA

Marcus Smart knows what it feels like to be on the other side. The last time the Lakers guard was in the playoffs, he was helping the Boston Celtics storm back from a three-game deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to force a near-historic Game 7.

Now he’s watched the Lakers’ seemingly insurmountable three-games-to-none series lead dwindle to 3-2 after a 99-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. Smart isn't flinching.

Whether defending a three-game lead or coming back from one, Smart knows the mindset is the same.

“We really got to literally go out there and be ready to die,” Smart said Wednesday after the Lakers failed to close out the Rockets for the second consecutive game. “... When I was on the other end, that was our motto: be willing to run through a wall and sacrifice your body for the betterment of the team. And that's what we're going to do now.”

NBA teams are 159-0 with a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series. Only four have even pushed it to the decisive Game 7. Smart’s 2023 Boston Celtics, when they clawed back against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, lost Game 7 at home after star Jayson Tatum turned his ankle on the first play of the game.

Hoping to avoid joining the historic list, the Lakers get a third try at vanquishing the Rockets for good in Game 6 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PDT at Houston’s Toyota Center.

“Once we get on that plane and head down to Houston, we got to forget about it and understand what we are going for,” said LeBron James, who had 25 points and seven assists Friday. “It’s going to be even harder. Every game is hard. It’s so hard to close out a team in the postseason, to win a series, and this is our first time doing it as a unit.”

The Lakers built a three-game lead in the series despite playing without leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves in the first four games. Reaves returned from a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain Wednesday, scoring 22 points on four-of-16 shooting with six assists, but his presence couldn’t stop the gradual decline of the Lakers offense.

Read more:Plaschke: Danger ahead! Lakers loss to the Rockets pushes them closer to the worst kind of history

The Lakers have failed to reach 100 points in each of the last two games. From shooting 53.9% from the field and 51.7% from three in the first 10 quarters of the series, they have shot just 44.6% from the field and 29.2% from three in the last 10, excluding overtime of Game 3.

Luke Kennard, a flamethrower who scored 50 points in the first two games, has scored just eight in the last two. He was scoreless from the field Wednesday, including two missed three-pointers. A 91.2% free-throw shooter, Kennard even missed a free throw.

On the other hand, Houston has found its rhythm. The Rockets made 38.7% of their shots in the first 10 quarters — Games 1 and 2 and the first half of Game 3 — and have shot 46.3% in the 10 quarters since, excluding the Game 3 overtime period. Their three-point shooting has jumped from 30.9% to 34.1%.

“We just got to make shots,” Smart said of the offense's struggles. “... And we're not giving ourselves a chance by turning the ball over, which we can't get a shot up on the rim because of that.”

The Lakers had 15 turnovers that resulted in 18 Rockets points Wednesday. The game started slipping away in the second quarter when they had five turnovers with the Rockets scoring nine points off the miscues. The Lakers let their 11-point first-quarter lead turn into a four-point halftime deficit.

Smart, who was asked to handle more ball-handling responsibilities while Doncic and Reaves were injured, had six turnovers and just two assists Friday. He called them “unacceptable.”

“The turnovers come in all shapes and sizes, and it's about limiting them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And you certainly have to give your guys freedom to make basketball plays. I would say in general though, turnovers of aggression are OK; turnovers of passivity are not.”

The Rockets only averaged 8.5 steals per game during the regular season, but had two players in the NBA's top 10 in total steals with guards Reed Sheppard (sixth, 122 total steals) and Amen Thompson (eighth, 119). They had three and four steals, respectively, in Game 5.

A defensive play from Sheppard stifled the Lakers’ late comeback. The Lakers trimmed a 13-point lead to three in less than three minutes. The cheer from the sold-out crowd at Crypto.com Arena was deafening when James kissed a left handed layup off the glass to pull the Lakers to within one possession with 2:59 left.

Sheppard immediately responded with a midrange jumper then picked James’ pocket on the next Lakers possession, going coast-to-coast for a two-handed dunk that pushed the lead back to seven with 2:20 remaining.

Read more:Lakers can’t close out Rockets series despite Austin Reaves' 22 points in return

The crowd went silent.

The Lakers had that same stunning effect on a road crowd already this series when they stormed back from a six-point deficit in less than 30 seconds in Game 3. The prospect of doing it again with even larger stakes brought an excited smirk to Smart’s face.

“We knew this was going to be a tough series,” Smart said. “I think everybody knew that, and it's turning out to be exactly what we expected. And now the fun begins.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers consistently turned the ball over as the Houston Rocketsearned a 99-93 victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference first-round series on Wednesday, April 29.

Now the series might be turning in the Rockets’ favor after winning two straight games and closing the gap after the Lakers built a 3-0 lead to start the series.

 As a former player, Lakers coach JJ Redick understands how turnovers can happen throughout the game, but he recognized how they impacted his team’s overall performance.

“It's hard because the players see stuff on the court and it's easy for us to look back on film or armchair quarterback it,” Redick said. “I do think we had two of those turnovers where we get a stop and we throw the ball ahead out of bounds. Those are the kind of ones that you wish you had back.

“But the turnovers, they come in all shapes and sizes and it's about limiting them and you certainly have to give your guys freedom to make basketball plays. I would say in general, though, turnovers of aggression are okay. Turnovers of passivity are not.”

In Wednesday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Detroit beat Orlando, 116-109, Cleveland took down Toronto, 125-120, and Houston handled Los Angeles, 99-93.

The story of the night was Paolo Banchero’s 45-point eruption for the Magic. He shot 17-31/6-11 and also grabbed 9 rebounds, and handed out 7 assists. Wendell Carter had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Brandon Ingram had just 1 point for the Raptors before leaving with an injury. RJ Barrett had 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, but that was somewhat overshadowed by a shoving match he had with Cleveland’s James Harden.

Luke Kennard did not play well for the Lakers, scoring just 1 point in 31 minutes.

On Thursday, Jalen Johnson and the Hawks, down 3-2, face elimination if the Knicks win. Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, up 3-2, have a chance to eliminate Philadelphia with a win.

Finally, Tyus Jones and the Denver Nuggets, down 3-2, need a win against Minnesota to get to Game 7.

• 4 takeaways: Cade Cunningham, Paolo Banchero engage in duel for the ages in Game 5
• Magic news: Jalen Suggs reveals best part of playing with Paolo Banchero
• Cunningham’s 45 points overshadow Banchero’s 45
• Cade Cunningham comes through for Pistons on the brink, outduels Magic star Paolo Banchero in Game 5
• Mike Bianchi: Even with Paolo Banchero’s brilliance, Magic can’t close out Pistons without Franz Wagner
• Magic star Paolo Banchero sounds off on bonkers playoff duel vs. Cade Cunningham
• Kendrick Perkins gives Magic HC Jamahl Mosley, Paolo Banchero props for outworking Pistons
• RJ Barrett Explains James Harden Scuffle in Video After ‘Disrespect’ During Cavs-Raptors Game 5
• RJ Barrett calls out James Harden after Game 5 heated skirmish
• RJ Barrett drops fiery take on James Harden after altercation
• Raptors running out of rope after Ingram injury, Game 5 loss
• Scottie Barnes believes Raptors need Brandon Ingram to beat Cavs
• Raptors’ Brandon Ingram leaves playoff game vs. Cavaliers with right heel inflammation
• Lakers are learning Luke Kennard lesson the rest of the NBA already knew
• How Many Times Has NBA Punished Lakers’ Luke Kennard?
• “You have to kill them” – JJ Redick details the L.A. Lakers’ mentality going into Game 5 vs. the Houston Rockets

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So that Game 3 overtime win Friday in Houston was fun, huh?

The Lakers needed it, of course. The Lakers wanted it.

The Lakers are paying for it.

Because LeBron James hasn't looked superhuman since playing those 45 minutes, including all five gutsy minutes of ovetime.

Read more:Plaschke: Danger ahead! Lakers loss to the Rockets pushes them closer to the worst kind of history

He hasn’t looked great.

Not even particularly good, not by his lofty standards.

And the Lakers need their not-quite-ageless wonder to be at least great to beat these Houston Rockets one more time. They need James’ best can-you-believe-he’s-41? act if they hope to close out this challenging best-of-seven first-round series without Luka Doncic.

The Lakers went up 3-0 largely thanks to James’ contributions.

After weeks of willingly playing third-wheel behind Doncic and Austin Reaves, James made it look like playing the alpha was like riding a bike in Game 1’s 107-98 victory: He got right on it and gave the Lakers 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.

Then James had 28 points in the 101-94 victory in Game 2. And there was his monster effort in Game 3, when he had 29 points and 13 assists and, in overtime, a key steal and block in the Lakers’ 112-108 victory.

But James has been much more mortal in the two games since, and the Lakers have lost both.

With a chance to finish off the Rockets in Game 4 on Sunday at the Toyota Center, James had almost as many turnovers as points: eight and 10, respectively.

With a second chance to finish off the Rockets in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, despite a second day of rest, James had a jagged performance that looked like a lot of work in the Lakers’ 99-93 loss.

Read more:Lakers can’t close out Rockets series despite Austin Reaves' 22 points in return

He had a game-high 25 points on nine-of-20 shooting, but he missed all six of his three-point attempts. He smoked layups. And missed three of his 10 free-throws, short on those attempts like he was on many of his misses Wednesday.

And while he had only two turnovers, they were the type to turn a tide, the type we’re not accustomed to witnessing from James. That type the Lakers can’t afford for him to make.

If he were a quarterback, he could have been called for intentional grounding, he overthrew Rui Hachimura by so much in the second quarter, when the Lakers were trying — and failing — to hang onto their early lead.

And then James got rhe ball ripped away from him by Reed Sheppard, the Rockets’ 21-year-old, allegedly 6-foot-2 guard, who raced up the court for a fast break dunk with 2:22 to play. That made it 92-85 and effectively doused the Lakers’ comeback.

“Just bang-bang plays,” James said at his locker, with a shrug. “Try to flush this one … we got to be better on Friday.”

The Lakers will have just two more shots at winning a series they weren’t supposed to before it started.

Their third attempt at closing out the Rockets comes quickly, when they play Game 6 on Friday at Houston. The Lakers will need something resembling the best version of James if they’re going to win and avoid the spectacle of a Game 7 showdown Sunday.

That would bring the Lakers to the brink of becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead. It would be an unavoidable blotch at the bottom of James’ 23-season resume that otherwise is highlighted by a 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Read more:Marcus Smart says Lakers must 'be willing to run through a wall' in Game 6

But James and the Lakers aren’t thinking about that now — or about whatever chatter is coming out of the Rockets’ now-confident camp (on Tuesday, Jabari Smith Jr. told reporters “We’re obviously the better team.”)

“Ask one of them young guys that question,” James said, unmoved. “I’m too old for that.”

But not too old — the Lakers hope — to carry them to one more victory and save them from infamy.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

I found this interesting.

In a nutshell, the 2-1-1 theory is a playoff philosophy that suggests the winning team requires specific contribution distribution: the best player (superstar) wins you 2 games, the second-best player wins you 1 games, and a role player wins 1, taking the team to the 4 necessary wins to take the series. It underscores the need for star power paired with critical role performances.

Justin Tinsley hypothesizes that Victor Wembanyama won the Spurs two of the games (Games 1 and 4), Stephon Castle won one (Game 3), and Julian Champagnie shined in the close out at home (Game 5).

Champagnie has been on fire from beyond the arc during the first round of the playoffs.

I can also see how with Fox’s 13-point 4th quarter and 21 total points in Game 5, one consider it his game over Champagnie’s. As Julian said, “It’s [De’Aaron’s] world, we’re kind of living in it.”

Honestly, with so many weapons in their arsenal, the Spurs could have multiple version of the 2-1-1.

The question with swapping Fox for Champagnie is whether Fox is the second best player on the Spurs, or is Castle?

I guess it depends on the night.

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CLEVELAND – Dennis Schroder spent a few minutes at halftime listing out all of the things the Cleveland Cavaliers should be doing better in Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors. On the top of that list, was getting back to playing their way.

“I felt like I had to say something to the group,” Schroder said afterward. “So we can rise and play Cavs basketball.”

The Cavs played their brand of basketball in the second half. After being down 12 near the start of the third quarter, Cleveland rallied for a 125-120 victory in Game 5. They now own a 3-2 lead in the series and have a chance of ending things back in Toronto on Friday.

Being able to control the paint made the difference.

After being mostly an outside shooting team in the first half, the Cavs made a concerted effort to get inside in the second. They attacked the basket in a way they haven’t this series, going 14-25 (56%) on shots in the paint. Conversely, they held Toronto to just 9-26 (34.6%) in the paint over the final two quarters.

Schroder led that charge. His speed and willingness to attack the basket changed how the game was played.

The Raptors have kept Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in check by being physical off the ball and preventing easy catches. And once they do get the ball, they’ve put as many bodies as possible in the lane, making it difficult to get to the basket.

That strategy has worked for the Raptors, but it does create opportunities for someone else to beat them off-the-dribble. This is where Schroder took advantage.

These two plays show how.

First, Schroder fakes a dribble-hand-off with Harden to freeze Jakob Poeltl. Poeltl hesitates, expecting Harden to get the ball. That pause is all Schroder needed. He has the speed to get past his man, and the help defense was far too late to recover.

This also worked with Harden as a screener. Here, the pick from Harden freezes Scottie Barnes enough for Schroder to get into the lane.

Schroder has always played his best basketball when he’s been empowered as a ball handler, as seen in his numerous successful international tournaments with Germany.

This has carried over to his time in Cleveland. He was exceptional for the Cavs before they made the Harden trade, and was solely responsible for running the second unit. Similarly, he performed well when they were without Mitchell for a few games at the end of February. In both stretches, the team allowed and needed Schroder to create offense for them.

It’s been more difficult for Schroder to fit in when both Mitchell and Harden have been healthy. One of the starters is on the court at all times, and typically, you want them to have the ball in their hands. This has made it tricky for Schroder to stay involved as he does his best work on-ball.

That trust was placed back in Schroder during Game 5. Mitchell chose to stay on the bench midway through the fourth quarter instead of coming back in like he usually would to give Schroder more time on the court.

Mitchell told head coach Kenny Atkinson no when asked if he wanted to return to the game. “Why? This is working,” Mitchell said. “You ride the hot hand.”

The Cavs certainly did.

Schroder accounted for 17 points in the fourth quarter, with the 11 he scored and the two triples he assisted. That’s the same number the Raptors as a team had in the final frame. That was much needed on a night Harden and Mitchell combined for just one fourth-quarter point.

For the third game in a row, Mitchell didn’t have the hot hand. He struggled to get inside as a scorer and wasn’t able to finish when he did. Mitchell went just 4-10 in the paint and had 19 points on 7-17 shooting.

Typically, the Cavs have lost when Mitchell doesn’t produce as a scorer. During the regular season, they were 7-11 when he played and scored 21 or fewer. That trend continued in the playoffs as he was held under 21 points in both losses this series.

Unlike Game 4, Mitchell didn’t force the issue. He let the game come to him more than he typically has during the playoffs, saying that sometimes the best offense is standing away from the ball and creating room for others with how Toronto is guarding him.

“I’ve done this at a high level in the playoffs, I’ve scored a lot of points,” Mitchell said. “I could score zero, and if we win the game, we advance. Excuse my language, I don’t give a damn.”

While this is the right attitude and possibly not one Mitchell has had throughout his entire career, the simple truth is that the Cavs will need him to score more at some point in the playoffs. This team is built around him carrying the scoring load. He hasn’t been able to do that in the last few games against Toronto.

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Inserting Max Strus into the starting lineup for Dean Wade didn’t work. The Cavs lost the 10 minutes Strus played with the core four by 11. This has been a trend throughout the series as the Cavs have now lost the minutes with that lineup by 24 points in 23 minutes.

Atkinson said before the game that it’s difficult to put too much stock in lineup data from a sample size this small. He also mentioned that the idea to go with Strus wasn’t because of anything Wade did, but more so to give the starters a boost with additional playmaking and shooting.

Usually, you don’t change a starting lineup after a playoff win, but this might be the exception. The Cavs have opened better with Wade than they have with Strus thus far.

Atkinson also decided to keep Keon Ellis on the bench. That move makes sense given Toronto’s size on the wing and the fact that the Cavs already have too many shooting guards to give minutes to.

Losing Brandon Ingram really hurt the Raptors. He left the game in the first half with a heel injury. We don’t know if he’ll be available for Game 6, but we do know the Raptors offense struggled mightily without him.

After scoring 74 points in the first half, the Raptors registered just 46 in the second. This included putting up 17 in the fourth quarter on 7-28 shooting (25%).

Even though Ingram hasn’t found his shot in this series, he’s helped Toronto’s offense with the attention he’s drawn. The Cavs have consistently sent two to the ball or have used their best wing defender in Wade to stop him. Both of these things help his teammates, as does the shot-creation he provides.

There’s a cascading effect with injuries. Losing starting point guard Immanuel Quickley shifted some of the playmaking responsibilities. Part of that fell to Ingram.

Now, the Raptors will need to pick up the facilitating burden that transferred to Ingram while also trying to replace their leading scorer throughout the regular season. In Game 5, that put even more of a burden on Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.

Both Barnes and Barrett had a difficult time in the second half after being lights out in the first two quarters. Barnes went from putting up 14 points on 6-10 shooting with eight assists in the first half, to having just six points on 0-6 shooting in the second. Meanwhile, Barrett went from scoring 13 points on 5-8 shooting to having just 12 points on 4-11 shooting in the second half.

This shouldn’t be surprising. The defense was able to key in on Barnes and Barrett much more easily.

We’ll see whether or not Ingram can go in Game 6, but if he can’t, the Raptors will have a difficult time generating consistent offense.

Evan Mobley continues to be a difference maker.

There’s a common theme in the Cavs wins and losses — the outcome has coincided with how well Mobley has played.

The Cavs turned momentum around at the end of the third quarter when Mobley went on a 5-0 run in the closing seconds to make it a three-point deficit heading into the fourth. A three at the start of the fourth then gave the Cavs a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Mobley’s offense was at the center of their second-half comeback. He contributed 16 of his 23 points in the final two quarters. Nine of those were from three-balls that he confidently knocked down despite being hesitant to take outside shots throughout the series.

The Cavs passed the test in Game 5. They weathered an up-and-down first half to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the series. It was the response that Atkinson was looking for from his group.

“We’re trying to get over the hump, we’re trying to get to the next level,” Atkinson said. “That’s a real mental challenge to me, especially in a Game 5, 2-2. These are high-pressure elements. You’re down. You feel the crowd getting nervous. So I think we took a step tonight.”

This game wasn’t pretty. But there’s no style points in the playoffs. The final result is all that matters. This time, the Cavs found a way to do that. And given this group’s track record in the playoffs, that isn’t something to knock them for.

At the same time, it’s fair to acknowledge that they still aren’t playing up to their incredible talent level. This is a highly skilled team that fits together well on paper and has at times throughout the regular season. Whether or not they can figure out how to get that to come through consistently in the playoffs will determine how long this run lasts.

At the very least, this was a step forward from where things were after Game 4.

“We didn’t sit here and think we’re coming out 4-0,” Mitchell said. “We weren’t going 16-0. This is a test. The same test we’ve been talking about all season, and we responded tonight.”

There have been 159 times an NBA team has led a series three games to none.

There have been 159 times that team has won the series.

Marvel in that statistic. Appreciate its power. Wax in its endurance. Embrace its existence.

Because the Lakers are two losses from blowing it to bits.

This is not really happening, is it? The Lakers aren’t really on the verge of messing up a three-games-to-none lead to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, are they?

It’s happening. With a glare and a snarl and youthful athleticism, the wrong side of history beckons.

Like Reed Sheppard wrestling the ball out of LeBron James’ hands in the final minutes, the Rockets are in the process of stealing this.

Like three-point misses from James and Austin Reaves in the final minute, the Lakers are on the verge of bricking this.

Read more:Lakers can’t close out Rockets series when Austin Reaves returns

With a 99-93 loss in Game 5 of the first round at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night, the Lakers have seen a historically insurmountable lead shrink to three-games-to-two while turning some recent words from the Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. into temporary reality.

““We’re obviously the better team,” Smith Jr. told reporters earlier this week. “I just feel like from top to bottom…we’re the better team.”

Even without injured star Kevin Durant, who hasn’t played in either of their two wins?

Even with — and this really hurts — the Wednesday return of Reaves?

Right now, the answer is a resounding yes.

To which James, when told of Smith’s statements, just shook his head.

“I don’t care about …that, bro,” he told reporters after the loss. “The game is won in between the four lines. I don’t give a damn. Who cares? Of course you say it. What would you say, ‘Oh, we’re not the better team.’ I don’t….Ask one of them young guys that question. I’m too old for that.”

The answers were a bit more concise from JJ Redick. The Lakers coach who was so inspirational at the beginning of this series has been reduced to spouting simple math.

“It’s the first team to win four games in a series,” he said. “We happened to win the first three. They happened to win the last two. We have to be better.”

James has to be better. After carrying the team for the first three games, he looks exhausted, and it is the Lakers who are now carrying him. Although he scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and 25 overall, he missed all three of his fourth-quarter trey attempts and lost the ball to Sheppard in the key turnover of the game.

A layup from James had cut a once-13-point margin to three, then Sheppard sank a runner before stealing the ball from James and proceeding to go solo on a fast-break dunk to give the Rockets an edge they never lost.

“Obviously, we’ve got to learn from our mistakes,” James said. “I think we made some mistakes tonight. Too many unforced mistakes.”

Marcus Smart, another early-series hero, has to be better. He made twice as many turnovers (6) as baskets (3) and, like James, the 12-year veteran looked worn down from the effort exerted last week.

Luke Kennard, the surprise playoff star, has to be better. Heck, he has to just show up. He was invisible for a second consecutive game Wednesday with exactly one point on exactly four shots.

Then there Reaves, who took the floor in the first quarter to a huge ovation after missing nearly a month with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. It’s hard to fault him amid the obvious rust, but he did miss 12 of his 16 shots and six of his eight three-point attempts, including two big bricks late.

“I thought he was aggressive..did a good job of driving..he’ll find his rhythm,” said Redick of Reaves.

As usual, Reaves shouldered more than his share of the blame.

“I missed a lot of easy looks,” he said, later adding. “You know, I wish I could, you know, get a little bit more of a rhythm before jumping into the fire like that.”

The uneven Lakers’ night was epitomized by those two plays from Sheppard that put the kibosh on the momentum from an 11-1 Lakers run and set up the Rockets for a fairly smooth landing. You know, unlike the earlier game when they blew a six-point lead in the last 30 seconds.

Think about that. The Lakers are lucky they’re not on the verge of losing this series. And after another turnover fest — 15 errors, 18 Rockets points — they’re lucky they haven’t blown this series already.

Game 6 is Friday in Houston. Game 7 is Sunday at Crypto.

You know the part where the schedule makers say the game is, “If Necessary?” What’s necessary is for the Lakers to win Friday. They want no part of Sunday, even at home. Too many weird things can happen. Enough weird things have happened already.

“Once we get on that plane and head down to Houston we’ve got to forget about it and understand what we are going for and it’s going to be even harder,” James said. “Every game is hard. It’s so hard to close out a team in the postseason, to win a series and this is our first time doing it as a unit. So, we’ll see what we got.”

What they had was enough early, the Lakers riding the spark from Reaves to grab as much as an 11-point lead in the first quarter.

But the excitement quickly wore off, as the Rockets began the second quarter taking advantage of Laker turnovers, rolling to a 9-0 run and taking the lead midway through the quarter. The quarter was best illustrated in the final minutes when two Rockets swiped the ball from Reaves and Amen Thompson wound up standing alone under the basket for a layup that eventually led to a 51-47 halftime edge.

The Rockets kept up the surge in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers by five while continually applying the pressure that resulted in the necessity of a big Laker fourth-quarter comeback. Which they didn’t have in them.

Trailing by four in the final 20 seconds, James rushed up a three-point attempt that clanked, and that was that.

“Try to flush this one,” said James.

Push hard on that handle. Very hard. Historically hard.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Michael Jordan/LeBron James GOAT debate is heating up again, thanks largely to King James, who had a few things to say about it.

They’re very different players, as James rightly notes, but we’re in the Jordan camp for several reasons.

First, as Muggsy Bogues pointed out, consider their weaknesses. For James, it’s free-throw shooting, basic shooting mechanics, turnovers (it’s not generally understood that one of his records is that he is the all-time turnover king in the NBA. Part of that is due to his extraordinary longevity, but still), and his mid-range game is not really all that great. And he also doesn’t move a lot when he doesn’t have the ball.

Now, as Muggsy asked, what are Jordan’s weaknesses? His fundamentals are as sound as anyone who ever played the game. Shooting? Check. Rebounding? Check. Defense? Check+. Ballhandling was a weakness, but he attacked it and made it a strength.

You can absolutely argue that Jordan wasn’t a phenomenal passer, but he was a lethal weapon with the ball. And when he wanted to pass, he could dazzle. But who would you rather have shoot, Jordan or Dennis Rodman? Jordan or BJ Armstrong? Jordan or Horace Grant?

Of course you’d pick Jordan.

Jordan’s talent was off the charts, and he also has huge hands, which helped a lot. He was also arguably the best defender of his day.

However, Jordan’s greatest asset as a basketball player was his extraordinary competitive desire.

The Chicago Bulls would not let him lift weights with Horace Grant, because they were scared he would hurt himself trying to outwork the much bigger Grant. He also didn’t move from team to team in search of a better supporting cast. He elevated his own team instead.

None of this is to say that James is not a great player. He’s very, very good.

However, if they played in the same era, Jordan would have chewed his own leg off if it meant beating James. In every sense, he was on a different level.

Players we’d take ahead of James.

• Jordan
• Larry Bird
• Tim Duncan
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Bill Russell

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How a former Celtic kept Jordan Walsh ready for his next opportunity originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s late March when Jordan Walsh plops down in a director’s chair in a theater where we are taping interviews with the members of the Celtics. It’s one day before Walsh, who at times earlier in the 2025-26 season felt like he was finally on the path to consistent playing time, will log his sixth consecutive DNP.

Walsh started 20 consecutive games from Nov. 12 to Jan. 1, raising eyebrows around the league with his relentless energy and defensive potential. But his playing time slowly evaporated, culminating with this late-March dry spell.

As Walsh waited his turn in our chair, he was punching away at his phone. On the other end was former Celtics forward Xavier Tillman, who played sparingly here over two-plus seasons but never let a lack of floor time dictate his attitude and approach. Tillman was ready whenever called upon, including in key spots during the team’s 2024 NBA Finals triumph over the Dallas Mavericks.

Walsh learned a lot about what it means to be an elite teammate and a true professional by watching the way Tillman carried himself in Boston. Tillman got dealt to Charlotte in a series of cost-cutting moves at the February trade deadline.

But Walsh continues to lean on Tillman’s wisdom in the aftermath.

“We talk all the time, even if it’s not basketball-related,” said Walsh. “Sometimes it’s just me sending him Instagram reels of funny stuff and him sending something back. Or like food — we talk about food a lot, too. It’s just random stuff but I think that’s a big part, too.

“[Tillman is] a guy who’s removed from our organization and is technically competing against us now, [but he’s] still looking out for the best for me and trying to give his help as a vet. I think it’s huge.”

How ironic, then, that just a couple days after our chat, Walsh returned to the lineup, making a spot start against Tillman’s Hornets. In fact, Walsh made 10 straight appearances to close out the regular season (including five starts) while reaffirming his ability to help Boston with his defensive tenacity and energetic rebounding.

Being ready for the moment helped Walsh state a case for postseason playing time. He’s appeared in all five games for Boston in these playoffs, often being an early sub tasked with chasing All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey through a never-ending gauntlet of screens. But Walsh dutifully fights through every Andre Drummond and Joel Embiid pick as if staying attached to Maxey is the key to his survival.

Entering Game 6 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, and with the Celtics facing a second chance to close out an Atlantic Division rival Thursday night, Walsh leads Boston’s playoff regulars in defensive field goal percentage differential, holding his opponents to 9.5 percent below expected output.

Opponents are shooting 36.4 percent when Walsh is the primary defender, per NBA tracking. Chasing Maxey is a thankless and nearly impossible task. Maxey has generated 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting with two turnovers and a blocked shot while defended by Walsh. All other Sixers players are 2-of-9 shooting with four points when Walsh is the primary defender.

In December, players like Austin Reaves were raving about how Walsh could be “one of the best defenders in the league for many years to come.” After limited playing time in his first two seasons in green, Walsh finally seemed to be carving out a role.

But Walsh stayed engaged even when his playing time evaporated, as head coach Joe Mazzulla cycled through all of Boston’s young wings at various points during the 2025-26 season.

“I think a big part of it is understanding that, if you’re not playing, you’re still holding onto the rope,” said Walsh. “You’re still a kind of support beacon of hope, almost, you could say, for the team and for guys. At no point are you left out. At least in this organization, there’s never a point where I felt like I was left out, or not in consideration or not being thought of or protected.

“So just knowing that, at every point, you’re still a part of the machine, whether your cog is [big or small], you’re still a part of it and, with you, it moves the machine forward.”

And when his playing time became sparse, Walsh leaned on Tillman.

“Obviously it’s big because, like I told you, I never felt like I was given up on. A guy I talked to a lot is Xavier,” said Walsh. “He’s been in this situation. Obviously, it’s a little bit different, but he was here for two years, didn’t play most of the year, goes in the Finals against the Mavs, hits a really big shot.

“So hearing his point of view, and I’m talking to Al [Horford], talking to guys that are here, [Jaylen Brown] — JB and me [are] always going back and forth. It’s a big part of it. It helps you stay sane, you don’t lose yourself in the, ‘I’m not playing,’ or ‘I am playing,’ and these guys still support you. So it keeps you here, keeps you focused.”

The Celtics are outscoring the Sixers by 23.5 points per 100 possessions with Walsh on the floor this postseason. Boston’s defensive rating is 8.4 points per 100 possessions better during Walsh’s court time, with the team posting a 103.8 defensive rating in his 65 minutes.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who selected Walsh 38th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, knew Walsh would maximize his opportunities.

“I think Jordan has always been probably as talented a young player, physically — especially on the defensive end — that we’ve had,” said Stevens. “But he just got thrust into a team that nobody was going to play on. So it’s been good to see him take advantage of these opportunities. But you could kind of see that coming over time.”

Walsh has produced multiple highlight-worthy hustle sequences in the postseason, including one scramble for an offensive rebound in Philadelphia that ignited the entire Celtics bench.

It’s not easy to come off the bench and chase Maxey, but Walsh does what he’s asked. The Celtics have outscored the Sixers by 45 points in Walsh’s floor time in the three wins.

Tillman’s time in Boston might have ended in February, but his impact lives on in Boston through Walsh.

This season never really gave the Golden State Warriors a stable version of themselves. It kept shifting with players in, players out, lineups changing, roles stretching past where they were supposed to go. Some nights it looked functional, some nights it didn’t, and most of the time it felt like they were figuring it out in real time with no guarantee it would ever settle.

But every now and then, something cut through all of that.

A game where the chaos stopped mattering for a while. Where one player found a rhythm strong enough to pull everything else into place, even if it was only for one night. And nobody planned for a night like this. Not the team, not the player, and definitely not the guy who spends three quarters missing everything he normally makes.

Nikola Jokic was doing what he does, stacking up a 35-point, 20-rebound, 12-assist triple-double like it barely required effort, the kind of performance that usually decides the game by itself. The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, were operating with nine available players and a starting lineup that felt more like a group project than a rotation, no Stephen Curry, no Jimmy Butler III, no Draymond Green, just whoever was upright and ready to go.

And for a while, it worked in a way that almost made you suspicious. They hit everything early, moved the ball cleanly, scored 76 in the first half with 15 threes, and built a lead that felt a little too functional for the circumstances. It looked like one of those nights where everyone does their job and the math holds up long enough to get you out of the building.

Then the third quarter showed up and reminded everyone what kind of team they actually were. Thirteen straight missed threes, a 34–19 swing, the lead gone, the rhythm gone, and Jokic starting to take the game apart in that slow, methodical way that makes it feel like there was never really a choice involved.

Somewhere inside all of that, Brandin Podziemski had one made field goal. He was 1-for-10 through three quarters, had more turnovers than baskets, and had spent most of the night doing the right things just in time to watch them not matter. The kind of game where you start thinking about fixing it instead of playing it.

He never really did that. He just kept arriving at the same spots and trusting that eventually the ball would cooperate. He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, and the run that followed, 20–2 to close the game, didn’t feel like a burst as much as a slow takeover that nobody interrupted.

That’s phenomenal, especially after missing nine of your first ten shots. Most players spend a night like that searching for a different answer. He waited for the same one to start working. He finished with 18 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and nine assists, one short of a triple-double, which is a funny stat line for someone who essentially couldn’t buy a bucket for three quarters and then played perfectly when it mattered. And those 15 boards from a guy with the body of a point guard?? That’s insane grit.

That’s the part that stays with you. Not that he got hot, because players get hot all the time, but that he did it at the exact moment the game stopped offering second chances. When the lead was gone, Jokic had settled in, and the Warriors looked like they had already used up whatever margin they had to work with, Podz delivered.

LOS ANGELES — Entering Game 5, the Lakers were still comfortably in the driver’s seat against the Rockets.

Now, the car is slowing down, making a funny sound and the hazard lights are on.

Houston took Game 5 in Crypto.com Arena and, suddenly, a matchup that was one game away from a sweep is just one more victory away from going the full seven games.

“It’s the first team to win four games in a series,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “We happen to have won the first three. They happened to have won the last two. We’ve got to be better.”

After having the momentum firmly on their side after Game 3, the pendulum has swung the other direction.

Gone are the great games from Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart. The purple and gold rode the Kennard wave to a win in Game 1, where he had a playoff-high 27 points. In Game 2, he was equally brilliant with 21 points while Smart added 25 points to put LA in front 2-0.

However, the Lakers can’t score at all now — Smart and Kennard included — having failed to reach the century mark in either of these losses.

Even the return of Austin Reaves wasn’t enough of an injection to close out the Rockets. He came off the bench and immediately made a difference in front of a welcoming Lakers crowd. He got into the paint, drew fouls on frustrated defenders and looked mostly like his old self, minus the efficiency after going 4-16 from the field.

“I thought he was aggressive,” Redick said. “[He] did a nice job of driving. He’ll find his rhythm.”

The NBA is a make-or-miss league, so some of these offensive issues can be chalked up to luck. However, the turnovers are unacceptable and have been a growing problem throughout this series.

Los Angeles had 15 turnovers, which led to 18 Houston points. Somehow, both those stats are actually improvements from Game 4. Entering this contest, the Lakers were averaging 20 turnovers a game, the most of any playoff team.

The Lakers have also begun to struggle with their outside shot, which was a strength during the beginning of this series. In their wins in Games 1 and 2, they shot 23-47 (48.9%) from deep.

During their last two losses however, they have shot 12-49 (24.4%). Meanwhile, the Rockets have flipped their fate by knocking down 26-70 (37.1%) of their threes in Games 4 and 5.

Momentum is hard to quantify, but like art, you know it when you see it. When you see role players struggling to score in losses and Houston getting big performances in wins, it’s clear which side has it.

But the thing about momentum is that it swings back and forth. The Lakers don’t need momentum for long as one more win ends Houston’s season.

“It’s playoff basketball,” Smart said. “This is what every kid, every person, every player, every competitor dreams of, being in the highest moment on the highest stage with the highest stakes. We knew that they weren’t going to just lay down.

“They came out and they did their job and they extended the series for themselves.”

The Lakers now have just 48 hours to regain that momentum. If not, Game 7, and potentially a historic collapse, awaits.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

The Golden State Warriors cycled through injuries, lineups, and versions of themselves that never quite stuck. Jimmy Butler III went down. Stephen Curry missed time. Moses Moody didn’t make it through the year. By the end, it felt less like a season and more like something that kept getting interrupted.

But even inside all that, there were nights where everything sharpened for a few hours. Where one player took control of the game and made it feel clean again, even if nothing else about the season was.

Let’s talk about Mr. Butler, in his last killer session of the season. Nobody knew it was the last one.

The New York Knicks came to Chase Center without Jalen Brunson, whose sprained ankle had kept him out the night before, and within the first three minutes they had jumped to a 10-point lead anyway. The Golden State Warriors were cold, the crowd was restless, and this had the early look of a team drifting into one of those nights where the energy never quite shows up. Then Jimmy Butler decided that wasn’t going to be the story.

What happened over the next three quarters was less about Butler’s individual brilliance, though 32 points on 14-of-22 from the field with eight boards, four assists, and two steals qualifies, and more about what his presence demanded from everyone else. Moses Moody went 3-of-3 from three in the first quarter alone and finished 7-of-10 with seven made threes for 21 points, the kind of shooting night that doesn’t happen unless the defense is already tilted before the ball even finds him. Brandin Podziemski came off the bench to shoot 8-of-9 for 19 points, including 10 in the second quarter that helped flip the game before halftime, 62-59. Stephen Curry, quiet early, found his rhythm in the third and finished with 27 points and seven assists, the kind of performance that looks inevitable once everything else has been pulled into place.

This was one of those nights where the offense didn’t feel like a series of plays so much as a chain reaction. Butler attacking downhill, the defense shifting a half-step too far, the ball finding shooters who were already set, already balanced, already expecting it. It wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t improvised, it was controlled in a way that made the game feel smaller, like there were fewer variables than usual.

When the Knicks tried to make it interesting late, Butler and Podziemski each scored nine in the fourth to close it. Butler’s nine weren’t loud. They didn’t need to be. They were the exact points the game required, delivered without urgency or hesitation, the kind of control that doesn’t announce itself but leaves no space for anything else to happen.

The Warriors walked out of that game feeling like something had clicked. Not solved or fixed, but defined. With Butler on the floor, the game had a shape to it, a pace that held, a sense that things were moving where they were supposed to go even when it got messy for a stretch.

Butler was making that possible. Less than a week later, a freak injury took that possibility away. We didn’t know it was the last one, and that’s what makes it worth remembering.

“You have to kill them.”

This was JJ Redick’s response when asked about the challenges of closing out a team in a playoff series. His team experienced it firsthand when the Houston Rockets staved off elimination in Game 4. Then, with a chance to deliver the death blow in front of their home crowd, the Lakers once again failed to get the job done, losing 99-93 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Houston is very much still alive.

What once seemed inevitable has suddenly become murky. The Rockets have found things that work. Shots are starting to go in, lineups are starting to click, and most importantly, they believe again. And that is what makes them dangerous.

Fortunately, the Lakers still have two more chances to move on. But if their performances in the last two games are any indication, they’re going to have to not only match the Rockets’ desperation but exceed it to advance to the second round and avoid being the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 lead.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the deflating loss.

Offense stuck in the mud

Before the series, many people fairly questioned how the Lakers would consistently generate points without their two leading scorers. They ended up doing so on the back of LeBron James and by getting surprising levels of production from Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard in the first three games.

However, with Smart and Kennard both falling back to earth, so has the Lakers’ offense. The team averaged 106.6 points per contest against the Rockets in the first three games. That has plummeted in the last two as the Lakers have only put up a measly 94.5.

There are a myriad of reasons why this occurred. For one, the Rockets deserve credit. They have upped their intensity, leveraged their athletic advantages and found strategies that are yielding better results.

As a result, it is time for the Lakers to adjust and also clean up what they can control.

Turnovers continue to be an issue, demonstrated by their 15 turnovers compared to just 19 assists in Game 5. They’ve also gone cold from the perimeter after scorching the nets earlier in the series. Of their last 49 attempts from beyond the arc, the Lakers have made just 12 (24.4%).

Austin Reaves’ return should hopefully help both of these areas. He was excellent in his first half back but faltered in the second. His uneven play was to be expected after missing as much time as he has, but as this series has extended, it has become evident how much the Lakers missed his dynamism and now need it more than ever.

It was not all bleak for the offense. Beyond Reaves’ encouraging first two quarters, James also proved he is still a problem for Houston as he met their force with his own in the form of his bulldozing drives. And perhaps the biggest bright spot was Deandre Ayton, who had arguably his best game as a Laker, scoring 18 points and pulling down 17 rebounds (10 offensive).

Although it’s clear where the Lakers’ improvements need to come from, doing so may be easier said than done if they can’t tap into what made them successful earlier in the series.

3-point defense

It only took a few possessions into the matchup to realize that JJ Redick wasn’t going to let Alperen Şengün be the one to beat him in the first round.

With the Lakers’ natural inclination to switch nearly everything, the Rockets have routinely sought out Şengün in the post whenever he got a smaller player defending him. The Lakers would respond by sending help to get the ball out of the big’s hands.

This same strategy was applied in Game 5. But unlike in previous contests, the outcome was different when the mismatch occurred.

Throughout the series, the Lakers have routinely dared the other Rockets to beat them, specifically from the perimeter. And for the most part, they have been unable to. This has allowed the Lakers to continue to show Şengün two defenders without fear of the open threes it would create elsewhere. In Game 5, that gameplan finally backfired.

Between the attention given to Şengün and the Lakers’ clear emphasis to shut off the paint whenever a drive occurred, the Rockets attempted 40 threes on Wednesday night as a result. It’s a staggering number given that the 3-ball accounted for nearly half of their total shots (48%), and considering Houston had the fifth-fewest 3-point frequency in the regular season (32.3%).

Between taking and making more, the Rockets ended up knocking down seven more threes than the Lakers in Game 5. Even if the Lakers were able to clean up other areas, that differential would almost always be too difficult to overcome.

Adjustments coming?

Although it may be easy to call for change given the recent results, it is important to note that Redick has shown a reluctance to react rashly to a small sample size.

That said, this is the playoffs. If there was ever a time to change course, it’s now. Between now and Friday, Redick and his coaching staff will likely return to their whiteboard and have to find the answers to problems that previously were hypothetical and now very real.

For example, will he trust his bigs to play Şengün more traditionally in Game 6 in an attempt to limit the open looks from the outside? Is there lineup tinkering to be done? How does he balance the usage distribution between Reaves and the players who played well in his absence?

Despite the Rockets’ recent surge, the Lakers are still in a good spot. But that does not mean they can approach Game 6 and beyond with the notion that they have margin for error. This is a series again, and the Lakers will have to treat it as such from top to bottom if they hope to avoid a historic collapse.

Pressure is mounting, and how they respond to it will be telling.

All stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise stated. You can follow Alex on Bluesky at @alexregla.bsky.social.