The one distinct advantage the Houston Rockets carried into their Western Conference first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers was a youthful core that, if deployed effectively, would yield an unmistakable edge.
Playing without Kevin Durant for the fourth time in the series, the Rockets relied on that verve in a 99-93 road win in Game 5 on Wednesday that sent the series back to Houston for Game 6 on Friday. Once down 3-0 in the series, the Rockets have fought their way back into contention.
“That was a mantra of ours coming into the series,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Let’s win the 50/50 battle, win the possession battle, offensive rebounds, turnovers and loose balls.
“It felt like they were the aggressor and outhustling us in the first few games. But you see more guys getting on the floor, more guys pressuring full court, and I think that’s starting to wear them down a little bit. And we saw the success that recipe had last game.”
Without Durant, the Rockets again used the same starting lineup, the second-youngest since postseason lineups were first tracked more than 50 years ago: Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason.
All five contributed to the win, with Sheppard, Smith and Thompson again distancing themselves from their roles in the ignominious end to Game 3.
“After what happened in Game 3, we could have very easily shut it down, pouted and quit,” Sheppard said. “That’s not what we did. We learned from it, we keep fighting and we keep giving ourselves a chance to play.”
Durant is listed as doubtful for Game 6 with the ankle injury he sustained in Game 2. Multiple reports Thursday indicated he will sit out again.
The Lakers again struggled with ball security, as they conceded 18 points off their 15 turnovers. The Lakers are committing 17.8 turnovers per 100 plays, nearly six more than the Rockets (12.2), and their ongoing inability to secure the ball has benefited a Houston offense struggling with efficiency.
“The turnovers come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s about limiting them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “You certainly have to give your guys freedom to make basketball plays.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves returned from a four-week injury absence (oblique) and posted 22 points and six assists in 34 minutes off the bench in Game 5. However, Reaves missed 12 of 16 field goals and posted a minus-5 plus/minus in his series debut.
Reaves’ presence didn’t have the expected impact on the Lakers’ offense, likely a product of the length of time he was sidelined and the lack of a proper ramp-up.
“I haven’t played in a month, unfortunately,” Reaves said. “… It’s hard to emulate real basketball reps, even if you’re doing it in practice. It’s really hard to get that same feel. So, yeah, I got a little tired in the second half, but it’s something I’ve got to push through. I don’t have the liberty to play a couple of warm-up games. I get tossed back into the fire on Friday, and hopefully we’ll have a better result.”
Integrating Reaves wasn’t a seamless transition. Though Luka Doncic (hamstring) remains sidelined, the Lakers’ failure to finish off the series with their shooting guard back in the rotation speaks to their difficulty in putting the Rockets to bed.
“We’ll take a look at the whole process and take a look at the substitution patterns and figure out where we can be better in Game 6,” Redick said.
“It’s the first team to win four games in a series. We happen to have won the first three; they happen to have won the last two. We’ve got to be better.”
