HOUSTON -- A different, unforeseen level of energy reverberated throughout the Toyota Center on Friday night for Game 6. A red sea of Houstonians were sold on the concept of hope, understanding that history could be on the horizon. No NBA team ever eradicated an 0-3 series deficit in 160 tries, but the Rockets stood one home victory away from becoming the fifth team to force a Game 7 after staring down the dreaded 0-3.
The Los Angeles Lakers ensured they would not end up on the wrong side of a historic comeback. They fended off the raucous Houston crowd and captured a definitive 98-78 victory to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals, punching a ticket to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’m a big believer in life that you should celebrate every victory, you should celebrate small wins,” said JJ Redick, who won his first series as the Lakers’ head coach. “For us to be written off a few weeks ago and win a playoff series is a big deal. It speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team that they didn’t let go of the rope.”
The Rockets initially rallied behind the deafening atmosphere, forcefully attacking the rim to secure an early 16-11 edge. However, the Lakers silenced that momentum to a haunting degree, responding with a 27-3 run. Although Los Angeles caught fire from three during this stretch of separation, its defensive effort was the driving factor behind the disparity on the scoreboard. The Lakers stifled the Rockets to a mere 13 second quarter points to establish a commanding 49-31 advantage at the midway point.
“Everybody was locked in,” Lakers point guard Marcus Smart said. “It started with LeBron. The OG came out. You know him, his mentality. Then, for me, it was (Deandre Ayton). He played his ass off. He was locked in from the start to the finish. He kept his composure, and he really set the tone for us on the defensive end. It allowed me to do what I do and everybody else to galvanize and come together.”
While significant comebacks are becoming increasingly common in the modern era, the Lakers kept their foot firmly on the gas in the second half. The Rockets never trimmed the deficit below 16 points for the final 24 minutes of action against a suffocating Los Angeles defense. They finished with a season-low 78 points (previous low was 91), wallowing in a 35.0 field goal percentage and 5-of-28 showing from the 3-point line.
“In the NBA, you need to have an openness — and whether that’s LeBron who’s been an All-Defensive Player, or Smart who has been Defensive Player of the Year — they just buy into whatever schemes we come up with,” Redick said of his team’s defense. “When you get buy-in from those guys it’s easy to execute because the accountability piece is there.”
LeBron James unearthed his heroics exactly seven days prior in the same venue, and once again, the 41-year old outshined Father Time to close out a record 42nd victorious playoff series. The NBA Playoffs all-time leading scorer chipped in a game-high 28 points, completely outscoring the Rockets in the second quarter. It marked his fourth game in the series as the Lakers’ leading scorer, as they successfully treaded through the waters of Houston without 2025-26 scoring champion Luka Doncic.
“When we went into the (locker room), I don’t know why, but the lights were off. And literally every single guy was going, ‘bahhh, bahhh,’” Redick said, mimicking goat noises. “It speaks to (James’) greatness. To me he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player. You can argue all you want, and I really don’t care to postulate on who’s the greatest of all-time… For him to do it again and answer the bell again, it’s baffling in some ways. The leadership aspect that I talked about — he just has this ability to set the tone for the entire group, and he did that again tonight, and our guys responded.”
The Lakers also received considerable boosts from their second and third longest tenured players. Rui Hachimura proved lethal from long range, sinking 5-of-7 threes in a 21-point outing. Meanwhile, Austin Reaves — who missed the first four games of the series with an oblique injury — returned to the starting lineup and slithered his way to the basket for 15 points on seven two-point field goals.
Despite missing Doncic for all six games and Reaves for four, the Lakers claimed their first playoff series win since 2023. Bound for the Western Conference Semifinals, they’ll draw the Oklahoma City Thunder which own the NBA’s best record at 64-18. The second round series commences Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, as the underdog Lakers eye a landmark upset over the defending champions.
“Things haven’t been easy since we played (the Thunder),” Reaves said. “Myself getting hurt. Luka getting hurt... I think there were a lot of question marks. Just the way that we responded as a group, it just tells you a lot about the people that we have in our room. There’s no quit. We’re gonna compete every possession regardless of what’s in front of us. You take all things, you apply them, you get back to work, and then you battle against the reigning champs.”