LeBron James stole the ball, pulled up from three, and tied the game with 13.6 seconds left in regulation. The Los Angeles Lakers then went on to beat the Houston Rockets 112-108 in overtime Friday night, taking a commanding 3-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round playoff series.
James finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in more than 45 minutes of play. He is 41 years old and in his 19th postseason. The Lakers will have a chance to sweep the series Sunday in Houston. No NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series.
The win was remarkable given who was not on the floor for Los Angeles. Luka Doncic, the league's leading scorer, remains sidelined with a hamstring strain. Austin Reaves is out with an oblique injury. James acknowledged the weight of those absences. "Everyone has to do a little bit more because of how much we're missing," he said. "It's a challenge for all of us and just trying to figure it out together."
The Rockets, for their part, had their own injury problems. Kevin Durant missed a second straight game, this time with a sprained ankle, and was not even on the bench Friday night. Coach Ime Udoka said Durant was receiving treatment. Without him, Houston still built a six-point lead with under 30 seconds left in regulation, and appeared set to force the series back to Los Angeles.
Then the Rockets collapsed. A Houston turnover led to a foul on Marcus Smart as he attempted a three-pointer. Smart made all three free throws to cut the deficit to 101-98. James then stole the ball from Reed Sheppard and knocked down the tying three-pointer. Alperen Sengun missed a potential go-ahead basket before regulation ended.
In overtime, the Lakers opened with a 6-2 run. Smart hit a three-pointer to push the lead to 107-103 and made two free throws to extend it further. Sheppard hit a three to pull Houston within three with under 30 seconds left, but Smart converted one of two free throws to seal it at 112-108.
Smart finished with 21 points and 10 assists. Rui Hachimura added 22 points. Sengun led the Rockets with 33 points and 16 rebounds, and Amen Thompson contributed 26 points and 11 rebounds. Smart credited experience for his poise in the clutch moments. "It was a smart play, and that's part of my vet savvy, being in the league for 12 years," he said. "I picked up some tricks from some guys."
Rockets coach Ime Udoka did not spare his team in his assessment afterward. "It's obviously a weakness of ours to close out and finish," he said. "The amount of mistakes or the type of mistakes are egregious and you can't have those."
Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged the difficulty of winning in Houston, even against a depleted opponent. "It's tough to win on the road in the playoffs and even without KD they're a great basketball team," he said. "That was a huge test for us."
Elsewhere in the playoffs Friday, the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-100 in Philadelphia, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scoring 25 points, to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference series. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-108 in Portland to take a 2-1 series lead, even without Victor Wembanyama.
