HOUSTON — LeBron James poked the ball away from Houston’s Reed Sheppard in the backcourt. Marcus Smart grabbed the ball and fired a two-handed pass to James, who bobbled it and slapped it to Luke Kennard. Kennard faked a shot and whipped a pass back to James.
Down three with 14 seconds left in regulation of Game 3 on Friday, James lined up a three-pointer. Two Rockets ran into each other while desperately trying to defend the shot.
With the ball hanging in the air and the game on the line, was there ever a doubt on the Lakers’ bench?
“Absolutely not,” guard Bronny James said. “It’s the Lakers.”
One of the NBA’s best clutch-time teams, the Lakers stirred up magic again in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, overcoming a six-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to earn a 112-108 overtime win over the Rockets. The Lakers took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and on Sunday will go for their first playoff series sweep since Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol powered them through the second round in 2010.
The Lakers already won two nervy road games over the Rockets during the regular season. But the hero from those wins was dressed in a crisp white T-shirt and gray pants Friday. Luka Doncic, nursing a left hamstring injury, even took off his white jacket during the dramatic overtime. He had no reason to worry with James at the helm.
The 41-year-old played 45 minutes 4 seconds, made the tying three-pointer with 13.6 seconds left in regulation and had a team-high 29 points and 13 rebounds to go with six assists. Smart had 21 points, 10 assists and, for the second straight game, five steals, including one with 27.8 seconds left in regulation that set up three critical free throws.
The veterans have played in 406 combined playoff games and, hoping to add another win, showed the mentality shaped through each one.
Lakers forwards Jarred Vanderbilt, left, and LeBron James celebrate after their overtime against the Houston Rockets in Game 3 on Friday night.
(Michael Wyke / Associated Press)
“We’re just trying to have that killer mentality right now,” said Smart, who had eight of the Lakers’ 11 overtime points. “We got them on the ropes and then it’s our job to try to finish.”
The Rockets were desperate to avoid the dreaded 3-0 hole. They stormed back from a 15-point, first-half deficit and took a one-point lead with 4:59 remaining on a three-pointer from Sheppard. The Houston crowd, which did not fill up until well into the first quarter, erupted.
James turned the ball over for the fourth time in the fourth quarter when Alperen Sengun tipped a bounce pass away from Kennard. Sengun punctuated his drive, and what appeared would be a season-saving win, with a one-handed dunk over James for a 101-95 lead with 40.6 seconds left in the quarter.
In the moment, forward Rui Hachimura admitted later, the Lakers felt a slight dip in their energy. They needed something to turn the tide.
Smart intercepted a lazy pass by Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr. in the backcourt, and Jae’Sean Tate fouled the Lakers guard on a three-point attempt with 25.4 seconds left. Smart made all three free throws. The crowd grew restless. When James hit the tying three, the fans wearing the Rockets’ red T-shirts stood in stunned silence.
A vocal minority of Lakers fans were buzzing.
“Next play. Next play,” coach JJ Redick said of the Lakers’ mindset during the critical stages of the game. “I mean, look, there’s a lot of things that happened tonight that were not perfect. … But you just kind of get on to the next play. And that, to me, is a hallmark of poise; that’s a hallmark of composure.”
While the Lakers had the best record (22-8) in clutch games this season, the Rockets ranked 16th. With a 22-23 record in games within five points in the final five minutes, the Rockets had the fifth-most clutch-time losses. Only lottery teams Indiana, Memphis, Brooklyn, Dallas and New Orleans had more such losses.
Houston coach Ime Udoka called the foul on Smart “terrible.” Instead of passing to a wide-open Sengun, Sheppard tried to split a double team on the decisive turnover. Sengun’s attempt at a game-winner when he got stood up by Jaxson Hayes on a turnaround baseline floater wasn’t the play the Rockets drew up, Udoka said.
“Horrendous mistakes,” the third-year Rockets coach said. “I don’t want to say youth or scared of the moment or whatever the case.”
The Rockets, who lost in seven games in the first round last year, were without star Kevin Durant for the second time this series. He missed the game because of a left ankle sprain he sustained in the fourth quarter of Game 2. He was sidelined for Game 1 because of a knee contusion suffered at practice. The 37-year-old was remarkably durable this season, ranking second in the NBA in minutes played. His presence was a lifeline for a team that lost point guard Fred VanVleet to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in September.
Durant was ruled out about 90 minutes before tip-off. When told during his pregame news conference, Redick had little reaction. The Lakers know who they have on their side.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
