LeBron James scored 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out eight assists as the Los Angeles Lakers closed out the Houston Rockets 98-78 on the road Friday night, setting up a Western Conference semifinal against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The victory gave the Lakers a 4-2 series win. They had jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Houston extended the series, but Los Angeles left no doubt in the close-out game, controlling from start to finish. Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 18 points.
James, 41, said the road close-out required him to set the tone early. "A lot of our guys, quite frankly, have not been in this position, have not been in a close-out situation, especially on the road," he told Amazon Prime. "I just try to bleed that into them, bleed the confidence and tell them to go out and play."
Lakers coach JJ Redick was direct about what he believes James represents. "To me, he's had the greatest career of any NBA player," Redick said. "He's one of, if not the greatest of all time, and for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it's baffling in some ways." James is the first player to compete in 23 consecutive NBA seasons and remains the league's all-time leading scorer.
The Thunder will be a steep challenge. Oklahoma City finished atop the Western Conference and swept the Phoenix Suns 4-0 in the first round. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series tips off Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
The Eastern Conference delivered its own drama Friday night. The Toronto Raptors survived the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-110 in overtime to force a Game 7, courtesy of an RJ Barrett three-pointer that hit the rim, bounced into the air, and dropped through the net with 1.2 seconds left. The shot drew immediate comparisons to Kawhi Leonard's iconic buzzer-beater against Philadelphia in 2019.
The Detroit Pistons pulled off an even more improbable comeback against the Orlando Magic, rallying from a 24-point deficit to win 93-79 and even their series at 3-3. Orlando had led 62-38 early in the third quarter and appeared on the verge of clinching, before missing 23 consecutive field goals. Detroit guard Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and had a simple explanation afterward. "Never say die, simple as that. Detroit grit, it's what we've been talking about all year."
Game 7 between the Pistons and Magic is Sunday in Detroit. The Raptors and Cavaliers also meet for a deciding game, with the winner advancing to face whichever team survives that series.
