Category: NBA

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.

The Rockets are coming home to Houston. Not to start their off season, but to play Game 6 of their first round series with the Lakers. The series is now 3-2 in favor of the Lakers, and of course it’s easy to see a world where they Rockets would be ahead 3-2. They aren’t, of course, but they also have a chance to do what has never been done before, and win a playoff series from down 3 games to 0. That would be a lot of fun to see.

The next step towards both history and improbability was taken tonight in Los Angeles. Austin Reaves, in the running for “Least Ethical Player In The NBA”. was playing again. (Reaves scored more points from the free throw line than the field tonight, and he scored 22.) The Lakers were, of course, without Luka Doncic, and the Rockets without Kevin Durant. I would now rate this series as a fair fight. Despite the Rockets also going without their presumed starting point guard Fred VanVleet, and center Steven Adams. Any Laker complaints about being short handed should cease at this point, as both Rockets wins were accomplished against a Laker team with Austin “Headwhip” Reaves.

On to the game. In short, the win was typical of how the young Rockets of the past two season often won games. They played active, tough, defense. They scored just enough to win. The Rockets turned the Lakers over 15 times tonight, and 10 of those turnovers were steals. They lost the rebounding battle, 41 to 34, mostly due to Deandre Ayton showing that the main stumbling block to greater career success is not his ability. He had 17 rebounds, and the next highest Laker player had 6.

Another notable aspect of the Rockets attack is that they shot 40 3pt shots. If you have a slow, fairly low output offense (and the Rockets offense in the playoffs this season has definitely been both), three pointers can help a lot. They did tonight, as the Rockets made 14-40 for a perfectly reasonable 35%. Jabari Smith had a great night, going 4-9, but no Rocket had an awful night from three, and that’s the big difference. Holiday and Okogie went 1-4, and Sheppard went 2-7, but Dorian Finney-Smith(!) and Amen Thompson(!) went 2-5. DFS has been much more of what the Rockets expected this season in the playoffs. It’s very welcome. A decent percentage on a high volume of threes does as much as as a good percentage on a high volume of twos, most of the time.

Of course, what has made winning possible at all, given the Rockets typically low scoring offense, is their defense. Tonight Los Angeles was held to 93 points. I think it’s somewhat under appreciated how difficult having Kevin Durant in the lineup can make the Rockets preferred style of defense. It’s understandable that given his age, and offensive load, that Durant wouldn’t be a top defender, and it certainly helps that he’s 7’ tall. He also barely moves on defense much of the time, and doesn’t switch. This causes many problems for the defense we just didn’t see tonight. Even with the much maligned Reed Sheppard starting, and playing 35 minutes, the Rockets held LA to 93 points, in a close out game on their home court. The first home closeout game Lebron James has lost since 2017, in fact.

The starting Rockets played most of the game. Amen played 46 minutes. Jabari and Sengun played 42 minutes. Tari Eason played 31 (due mostly to some silly fouls), while Sheppard played 35. Los Angeles was much the same story, with James playing 39 minutes (two under his age), Hachimura 37, Ayton 38, Smart 37, Reaves, on his second game back, 35, and Kennard 31.

I have to believe these numbers work in favor of the Rockets as this series winds on. They are simply much younger than the Lakers overall. In fact this was either the youngest, or second youngest playoff starting lineup in NBA history. In a longer series, with the 41 year old LeBron James being, once again, far and away the Lakers best player, those minutes start to toll in a way they probably won’t on the Rockets.

In some ways in this series, the Rockets have been saved by Kevin Durant’s injury. This is not some slam on Durant. It’s simply this: Ime Udoka is so stubborn about how he uses Durant, the Rockets are incredibly easy to defend. A team not known for defense, the Lakers, can force Durant into 9 grisly turnovers, in the one game he played. With the Rockets lineup of Sheppard, Thompson, Eason, Smith and Sengun, the Rockets are far harder to defend with the tactics the Lakers used against Durant. The Rockets, despite not showing it in game one, create a defensive burden on individual Laker defenders. LA seems to have a better chance junking the game up and swarming the obvious, and inevitable, KD initiation of offense. The Rockets only had 10 turnovers, of which five were steals. Sengun and Thompson were doubled quickly, and turned over 8 times to their 12 assists, but Sheppard, Smith, Eason, and Holiday combined for 12 assists to 1 turnover, as the pressure was elsewhere.

The Rockets don’t suddenly have a great offense, but they do have a far more balanced one. The proof of this was in the scoring Smith – 22, Eason -18, Sengun 14, Thompson 15, Sheppard – 12. None of that is exactly pinball machine stuff, but it puts weaker defenders like Kennard, Reaves, and (much of the time) James in a difficult position. 99 points probably won’t get it done going forward (even Orlando and Detroit scored 225 collectively) but it might get it done against the Lakers two more times.

The series now shifts back to Houston, and hopefully the Rockets come out with the same fire.

History awaits. (We hope.)

Allow me to contradict myself from something I said earlier in this series, but what an underwhelming crowd that was for a closeout game.

In the opening two games, the Lakers faithful were awesome and had a huge hand in the purple and gold jumping out to an early lead in the series. But on Wednesday, with a chance to close out this series, the fans matched the energy of the team and the result was a game that felt like it was taking place in early January for a large chunk of it.

The easy retort is that the Lakers gave them nothing to return for during most of that stretch. And while you’re not wrong, this is a playoff game! There shouldn’t need to be a reason to cheer on the team.

A disappointing showing from the fans matched a disappointing showing from the team.

Anyway, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

39 minutes, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 9-20 FG, 0-6 3PT, 7-10 FT, -5

LeBron started the game strong in the opening minutes, then faded completely into the background for most of the next three quarters. By the time he turned it back up in the fourth quarter, it was too little too late.

I get he’s 41. I get playing a young Rockets team is exhausting. But this was unacceptable for most of the game.

Grade: C-

Rui Hachimura

37 minutes, 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 5-11 FG, 2-3 3PT, +5

When Rui has things going, those pull-up mid-range jumpers are things of beauty. When they aren’t, it’s very frustrating to watch. It was very frustrating to watch tonight.

He did hit a timely three, so he gets saved with that.

Grade: C+

Deandre Ayton

38 minutes, 18 points, 17 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 9-14 FG, +2

Shoutout to the best player on the floor for the Lakers. And really, this is two games going that he’s been the best player on the floor. And he closed Game 3 in a strong way in overtime.

What I’m getting at is Ayton has shown up this series and was the bright spot in a frustrating game.

Grade: A+

Marcus Smart

37 minutes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-7 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, -7

Don’t let the stats fool you. This was one of Smart’s worst games of the season. On top of the six assists, the shot selection was really bad. With the Lakers’ offense struggling, he took long threes on multiple occasions. After making it a habit of getting to the rim this series, too, he completely abandoned that on Wednesday.

Across the last two games, he has 10 turnovers, is shooting 6-15 from the field and 3-9 from three. Sure hope we’re due for a good Smart game!

Grade: F

Luke Kennard

31 minutes, 1 point, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 0-4 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, -3

The Jeremy Lin run for Kennard is well and truly over. He was pulled from the starting lineup in the second half and rightfully so. Does he have one last bit of magic left?

Grade: F

Austin Reaves

34 minutes, 22 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-16 FG, 2-8 3PT, 12-13 FT, -5

From an efficiency standpoint, this was not a great game from Austin. From an impact standpoint, it was a positive. He immediately brought another offensive threat in the pick and roll and got to the line repeatedly.

It’s not a shock that he didn’t have a rhythm. It is a shame thought because an average shooting night from Reaves likely ends this series.

Grade: B+

Jaxson Hayes

10 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, -8

We’re back to the point in the playoffs where Hayes is unplayable in the postseason. They hemorrhaged points in his minutes, and he committed multiple fouls on the rim. When he can’t be a lob threat, he offers nothing offensively.

Grade: F

Jake LaRavia

9 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 fouls, 1-1 FG, -1

This actually felt like a good LaRavia game. He had a couple of nice defensive sequences and scored on a nice cut. But he’s still not even considering shooting threes, so I get why he’s not getting many minutes.

Grade: C

Jarred Vanderbilt

It was only one stint from Vando on Wednesday and rightfully so. The Rockets have spent the series daring Vando to hit threes and he’s now 1-8 with the one make coming on his first shot of the series.

If he’s this unplayable, then I think there’s an argument to give Bronny his shift and see if having a bit more spacing could open something up.

JJ Redick

The Lakers came out with a lack of urgency, which typically circles back to the coach and fair enough. But the Lakers also were doing a lot of things on the floor that were out of his Redick’s control. The missed threes and turnovers were definitely not part of his gameplan.

He did start the game doubling Alperen Şengün and daring the likes of Dorian Finney-Smith and Amen Thompson to beat them from three. When they did, he moved off that, but the damage was done. You have to roll the dice on something and the Lakers lost that gamble.

Grade: C

Wednesday’s DNPs: Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith Jr., Adou Thiero

Wednesday’s inactives: Luka Dončić

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back for a huge Game 5 win and a 3-2 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Let’s go over today’s losers.

LOSER – The First Half

I can’t blame anyone for feeling antsy in the first half. To be honest, if you weren’t starting to worry about a full-blown panic attack, then I don’t know how you do it. This first half had disaster written all over it.

The Raptors could not miss in the first two quarters. They had 74 points at halftime on 64% shooting from the floor and 59% shooting from downtown. No one thought that would be sustainable, but it’s more than enough in one half to steal a Game 5 on the road.

How did the Raptors do it?

Scottie Barnes was the driving force. He put immense pressure on the rim with his downhill attacks, while his playmaking provided a counter. Drawing multiple defenders and hitting the open man is easier said than done. Barnes had the Cavalier defense scrambling to keep up.

Adding fuel to the fire, Cleveland again turned it over like crazy. The Raptors eventually scored 28 points off turnovers in this game, with a good chunk of that coming in a frantic first half.

WINNER – Feeding the Bigs

Clearly, something changed in the second half. The Cavs managed to overcome a 12-point deficit and storm back for a double-digit lead of their own before winning in the closing minutes.

Feeding the bigs was the key to all of that.

Dennis Schroder (more on him soon) apparently told the Cavs as much. At halftime, Schroder addressed his team and told them where they’ve been going wrong. His proposal? To return to ‘Cavs basketball’ play prioritizing Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley as focal points of the offense. I guess Schroder reads Fear the Sword, or any Cavs blog, for that matter.

The results were immediate. Mobley and Allen re-established the Cavaliers’ efforts in the paint by rolling to the rim and creating easy opportunities. By playing inside-out, the Cavs offense settled into a more sustainable groove — all while energizing the bigs on the other end of the floor.

All of a sudden, Allen and Mobley were rejecting shots and anchoring an elite defense. After coughing up 74 points in the first half, Cleveland only allowed 46 in the second (just 17 points in the fourth). Mobley and Allen’s six combined blocks were a big part of that. Getting them more involved on offense was what sparked it.

Mobley finished with 16 points in the second half, including three clutch triples to secure the win.

WINNER – Dennis Schroder

I had a feeling that Schroder could have a big game in the playoffs. I, however, did not think it would come in such a pivotal moment.

Schroder, for all intents and purposes, saved the Cavs season. This was shaping up to be a crushing Game 5 loss at home. Instead, Schroder more than doubled his total points for the series (he scored 19 points tonight and had only scored 18 points in the previous games combined). More than half of Schroder’s scoring game in the fourth quarter.

Toronto has played an aggressive style of defense at the point of attack. For example, if James Harden has the ball, you can bet a second Raptor is lurking at the nail, cheating off the wing and providing additional help on any potential drives.

This is what opened the door for Schroder to succeed.

Any attention on Harden meant room for Schroder to attack. He was quick to catch the ball and burst to the rim on these opportunities, making the most of the defense being preoccupied with his teammates. That extra ball-handler on the court made a huge difference for Cleveland, as the Raptors had previously stifled their offense with this aggressive help.

Schroder didn’t just have it rolling downhill; he was knocking down three-pointers, as well. Scoring from all three levels made him tonight’s hero — and even Donovan Mitchell was content sitting on the bench to let Dennis cook.

“It’s about the group,” Mitchell said about allowing Schroder to stay in the game. “It’s on me to take a step back… I know who I am, y’all know who I am… but the only thing that matters is winning the game.”

I didn’t expect Schroder to save the day, but I sure am happy he did.

New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference)

Atlanta; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

LINE: Knicks -2.5; over/under is 213.5

EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 3-2

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks look to clinch the series over the Atlanta Hawks in game six of the Eastern Conference first round. The Knicks defeated the Hawks 126-97 in the last meeting on Wednesday. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 39 points, and Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 18.

The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference games. Atlanta is 7-8 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Knicks are 35-17 in conference matchups. New York is seventh in the NBA with 45.6 rebounds per game led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 11.9.

The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field this season, 1.4 percentage points higher than the 46.0% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.3 more made shots on average than the 12.9 per game the Hawks give up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. CJ McCollum is averaging 18.7 points and 2.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Brunson is scoring 26.0 points per game and averaging 3.3 rebounds for the Knicks. OG Anunoby is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hawks: 4-6, averaging 111.6 points, 41.0 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 8.0 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.9 points per game.

Knicks: 7-3, averaging 113.1 points, 43.6 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 8.6 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 102.5 points.

INJURIES: Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).

Knicks: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

There’s a kind of relationship that only championship basketball produces. It isn’t friendship or a business. It’s something more volatile than either, built over four title runs, a thousand film sessions, and three knockdown fights a year just to establish the rules.

Steve Kerr gave us the most honest line of the entire Warriors postmortem cycle when he told The New Yorker’s Charles Bethea:

“There [are] things he’s done that I can never forgive him for, and yet I will do anything for him.”

Not “I’ve forgiven him.” Not “we worked through it.” The things remain unforgivable. The loyalty remains absolute. Those two facts coexist without resolving, and that tension is exactly what made this dynasty breathe.

Kerr described their early years together as a negotiation of dominance, two fiercely competitive people establishing territory. He had to show the rest of the team he was in charge. Draymond, being Draymond, required that demonstration repeatedly and enthusiastically. What emerged was genuine mutual fluency, the kind where you can anticipate someone’s argument before they finish making it because you’ve had it enough times to have it memorized. Then December happened, and all that fluency got tested at max volume.

Which brings us to Draymond’s side of the ledger.

During a 120-97 win over Orlando on December 22, the two turned the Warriors bench into a press conference nobody scheduled. Draymond eventually left for the locker room and never came back. From the outside it looked like another episode. From the inside, according to Draymond himself on The Draymond Green Show, it was something far more specific:

“I had to say what I had to say back, and then he went crazier and crazier. And the look that I saw in his eyes, I’m like, ‘I should leave.'”

That’s not impulsivity. That’s a man who has studied Steve Kerr for over a decade reading the temperature in real time and making a calculated decision to exit before the situation became something neither of them could walk back. What followed the game was the part that reframes everything. Draymond told Kerr directly that he didn’t think Kerr had ever truly liked him. Kerr cried. The man who played for Phil Jackson, who coached four champions, who has operated in the NBA pressure cooker for three decades, broke down when confronted with the possibility that the person he fought hardest questioned whether he was genuinely valued. That’s not weakness. That’s what it costs to care deeply about something difficult.

Check out Draymond’s reaction:

That’s the whole thesis right there, delivered cleaner than any analyst could package it. The unforgivable things are real. The debt is also real. Both are permanent, neither canceling the other out. Kerr, for his part, made clear that his uncertainty about returning as Warriors coach isn’t abstract. It’s personal. The reason walking away feels complicated is sitting right there in the locker room:

“I don’t want to abandon those guys. If Steph and Draymond were retiring this year, I think this would be an easy decision: we all go out together.”

Twelve years. Four championships. Three fights a year becoming one major blowout a season becoming tears in a hallway after a December win over Orlando. What Kerr and Draymond built wasn’t comfortable or clean. It was exactly what championship relationships look like from the inside: real enough to wound, strong enough to survive the wounds, and honest enough to name both truths out loud without flinching.

That’s the rarest thing in professional sports. Not the rings or the wins. But the willingness to stay in something that never fully heals and still choose it anyway.

The Cleveland Cavaliers survived a thriller against the Toronto Raptors, largely thanks to Dennis Schroder.

Schroder, we all owe you an apology. You might have just saved the season.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

19 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers

This started off as another poor showing from Mitchell. Despite a pair of absurd three-pointers in the first half, Mitchell’s decision-making was once again off from the start. He’s struggled to read Toronto’s defense in every game since Game 2 — but he finally found a groove again in the second half.

It wasn’t perfect. But Mitchell put his head down, and windmill gathered his way back into the interior. His scoring in the paint was a positive, and it helped turn the momentum back in Cleveland’s favor as they began their rally.

Notably, Mitchell was absent for a long stretch during the fourth quarter. Head coach Kenny Atkinson says that was because Mitchell insisted the Cavs keep Dennis Schroder, who was on a heater, in the game instead of him. For all of the complaints we have of Mitchell getting tunnel vision on offense — he’s still one of the more humble superstars in the league. He’ll get bonus points for that.

“It’s on me to take a step back,” said Mitchell. “I know who I am, y’all know who I am… the only thing that matters is winning the game… I could score zero points, as long as we win, I don’t give a damn.”

Grade: C–

James Harden

23 points, 5 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 6 turnovers

This game looks different if Harden doesn’t meet the moment with his scoring in the first half. Toronto couldn’t be stopped, rampaging to 74 points in the first two quarters. Harden kept the Cavs in the race by scoring 19 points of his own to keep Cleveland’s deficit in single digits.

Again, it wasn’t perfect. This was Harden’s fourth game of the series with 5+ turnovers (he had six tonight). Being careless with the ball contributed to 28 points off turnovers for the Raptors. Still, if it wasn’t for a few of his drives to the basket, this Cavalier offense would have been DOA.

Grade: B+

Evan Mobley

23 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks

I’m not sure how many Cavaliers faced more pressure entering this one. Mobley was heavily scrutinized for his poor performances in Toronto. So, how did he respond?

Well, a pair of huge triples in the fourth quarter goes a long way to making you feel better.

Mobley ended with 23 points, shooting 8-13 from the floor and re-integrating himself as one of the league’s best play-finishers. All the while, his rim protection helped pave the way for Cleveland’s second-half comeback.

Grade: B+

Dennis Schroder

19 points, 2 assists

The man of the hour.

I can’t say it enough, Schroder saved the day in Game 5. The sheer intensity and urgency with which he played every minute is a stark contrast to some of the more lackadaisical performances we’ve seen from Cavs playoff games of the past.

Schroder’s ball-handling opened the floor for Cleveland’s offense to get back into the driver’s seat. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, bursting to the rim and drilling clutch shot after clutch shot.

Grade: A+++

Jarrett Allen

9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks

The Cavs have been lacking force from their frontcourt. Losing the physicality battle is a theme we’ve seen too often in Cleveland. Part of winning that battle, however, is making sure the bigs are energized by being functional members of the offense. We saw that effect in the second half, as Allen went from a total no-show to a real difference maker.

I can’t say Allen was great, by any means. But a few opportunities in the short-roll and on deep-seals allowed him to get on the board. From there, a handful of great contests (and blocks) at the rim fueled Rocket Arena back into a frenzy.

Grade: C+

Dean Wade

7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Wade was moved back to the bench tonight as the Cavs opted for Max Strus in the starting five. More on that later. But Wade’s defensive impact was as strong as ever, and he made a few nice plays off the ball to make himself visible on offense. That diminished as the game went on, and Wade finished 3-10 from the floor.

But taking that many shot attempts is a step forward in and of itself. And Wade has more than proven he belongs in the playoff rotation, whether it’s as a starter or bench contributor.

Grade: B+

Max Strus

8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Strus joined the starters tonight, a risky move that initially looked like a total dud. The Cavs sacrificed size on the wing and weren’t reaping enough rewards from having another volume shooter next to the backcourt. That started to course correct itself in the second half.

The Cavs found much more success with Strus after halftime. The defense started to play with more urgency, and Strus continued to do all of the little things that won’t show up in the box score.

Grade: C+

Thomas Bryant

0 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover

Bryant was dusted off the bench for his first meaningful run in this series. It was a mixed bag. He sets crushing screens and can match Toronto’s intensity. But he couldn’t match their speed, and struggled to contain the pick-and-roll.

Grade: D-

Jaylon Tyson

8 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists

Tyson’s stepback jumper in the fourth quarter was key to keeping momentum. He hasn’t been afraid of the moment all year, so it was great to see Tyson take and make such a key shot in Game 5.

Grade: C+

Sam Merrill

9 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Merrill is emerging as the silent hero of the series. His effort on defense is as high as anyone on the roster. And, he’s been gradually finding his touch from behind the arch. Merrill added 9 points on 2-3 shooting today, working his way to the free-throw line four times, as well.

Sam finished with a team-high plus-19 in this game.

Grade: B+

The Houston Rockets forced a Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers, defeating them 99-93 in Game 5, in the first round of the NBA playoffs on April 29.

The Rockets one-upped the Lakers, who saw the return of Austin Reaves. He scored 22 points in their Game 5 loss. The Lakers had been without Reaves most of the series ... and will still be without leading scorer Luka Doncic.

Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain against the Oklahoma City Thunder with days remaining in the regular season, on April 2. He's been out since.

If the Lakers eliminate the Rockets on Friday, May 1, Los Angeles will face the Thunder next in the second round of the playoffs.

The Lakers will still be without Doncic to start the second round against Oklahoma City should they advance, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. But after that?