And just like that, we have an NBA playoff series. The Houston Rockets amped up the interest in their Round 1 matchup with a 99-93 Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Trailing 3-0 in the series, they’ve rattled off two straight wins to make it a much more manageable 3-2 series deficit.
Still without Kevin Durant, it was a group effort by the Rockets. All five starters scored double-digit points. Jabari Smith Jr. led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds. Alperen Sengun had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Even with LeBron James’ 25 points and seven assists, the Lakers didn’t have enough offensive firepower elsewhere. In his return from a month’s absence with an oblique strain, Austin Reaves had 22 points and six assists off the bench.
Obviously, the Thunder are rooting for this Round 1 matchup to go the distance. The longer it goes, the more time Williams gets to recover from the hamstring strain he sustained in their Game 2 win over the Phoenix Suns en route to another Round 1 sweep.
The Rockets will host the Lakers for Game 6 on Friday, May 1. If necessary, a Game 7 would take place at Los Angeles on Sunday, May 3. The Thunder wrapped up their Round 1 series this past Monday with a Game 4 win over the Suns.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: As Thunder await, Rockets keep season alive with Game 5 win over Lakers