HOUSTON Rockets kept their season alive with a hard-fought 99-93 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series on Wednesday (Thursday in the Philippines) in Los Angeles, California.
Jabari Smith Jr. led the way with 22 points, including four three-pointers, while Tari Eason contributed 18 markers as the No. 5 seed Rockets trimmed their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 2-3.
Amen Thompson also made his presence felt with 15 points, Alperen Sengun flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, and Reed Sheppard tallied 12 markers.
Houston maintained control for much of the second half and built a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Lakers responded with a late surge, cutting the deficit to three at 88-85.
A key jumper and steal-turned-dunk by Sheppard helped the Rockets regain momentum in the closing minutes. The Lakers made their last push at 93-96 but free throws by Thompson and Smith sealed the win.
LeBron James paced the Lakers with 25 points, Austin Reaves added 22 points and six assists in his return from injury, and Deandre Ayton posted 18 points and 17 rebounds.
At Detroit, Cade Cunningham scored a franchise playoff-record 45 points, including a step-back jumper with 32 seconds left, and the top-seeded Pistons beat the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic 116-109 in Game 5 of their first-round series to stave off elimination.
Tobias Harris scored 23 points for the Pistons, All-Star center Jalen Duren snapped out of a slump with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Duncan Robinson also scored 12.
Paolo Banchero himself ended with 45 points to lead the Magic, which is still ahead in the series at 3-2.Anthony Black had a playoff career-high 19 points, Desmond Bane scored 18 points and Jalen Suggs added 10 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, surged to a 3-2 series lead with a come-from-behind 125-120 Game 5 win over Toronto Raptors. James Harden led the Cavs with 25 points and nine assists./PN
