Rockets Fight Hard, Defeat Lakers for Two Straight Games, Series Now 2-3, Extending Their Life
The Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for two consecutive games in the playoffs, narrowing the series to 2-3. Smith and Eason performed exceptionally, and despite Durant's absence, the Rockets showed resilience, bringing the series back home.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 14:51
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 15:01 (10 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 08:08 (17h 6m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Los Angeles, 29th, comprehensive foreign report) The Houston Rockets of the American professional basketball NBA played their fifth game of the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points, and Tari Eason contributed 18 points, leading the Rockets to a 99-93 victory over the Lakers. They avoided elimination for two consecutive games and narrowed the series gap to 2-3.
According to the Associated Press, Alperen Sengun scored 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists for the Rockets. Although Lakers guard Austin Reaves returned from injury, the Rockets, with their fighting performance, successfully brought the series back to Houston, with Game 6 scheduled for tomorrow night.
The Rockets won two consecutive games despite the absence of their top scorer, Kevin Durant. Durant missed four of the five games in the series due to injury.
No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to advance, but the Rockets have now won two games. Among the 159 teams that have been down 0-3 in the past, only four have managed to force a Game 7.
Lakers star LeBron James scored 25 points and dished out 7 assists, but the Lakers still suffered their second consecutive loss.
Reaves, returning from injury, contributed 22 points and 6 assists, but the Lakers committed 15 turnovers in the game, marking their worst performance in the series and only their second loss in 16 home games since February.
Deandre Ayton scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Lakers. The team is still without Luka Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer, who has not yet returned from a muscle strain.
The Rockets had poor shooting performance when they lost the first two games in Los Angeles, but they gradually found their offensive rhythm despite Durant's absence and responded with a more balanced offensive system.
The Rockets' resilience is good news for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are resting after sweeping the Phoenix Suns and waiting for the winner of this series. (Compiler: Xu Ruicheng) 1150430
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(Central News Agency, Los Angeles, 29th, comprehensive foreign report) The Houston Rockets of the American professional basketball NBA played their fifth game of the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points, and Tari Eason contributed 18 points, leading the Rockets to a 99-93 victory over the Lakers. They avoided elimination for two consecutive games and narrowed the series gap to 2-3.
According to the Associated Press, Alperen Sengun scored 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists for the Rockets. Although Lakers guard Austin Reaves returned from injury, the Rockets, with their fighting performance, successfully brought the series back to Houston, with Game 6 scheduled for tomorrow night.
The Rockets won two consecutive games despite the absence of their top scorer, Kevin Durant. Durant missed four of the five games in the series due to injury.
No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to advance, but the Rockets have now won two games. Among the 159 teams that have been down 0-3 in the past, only four have managed to force a Game 7.
Lakers star LeBron James scored 25 points and dished out 7 assists, but the Lakers still suffered their second consecutive loss.
Reaves, returning from injury, contributed 22 points and 6 assists, but the Lakers committed 15 turnovers in the game, marking their worst performance in the series and only their second loss in 16 home games since February.
Deandre Ayton scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Lakers. The team is still without Luka Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer, who has not yet returned from a muscle strain.
The Rockets had poor shooting performance when they lost the first two games in Los Angeles, but they gradually found their offensive rhythm despite Durant's absence and responded with a more balanced offensive system.
The Rockets' resilience is good news for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are resting after sweeping the Phoenix Suns and waiting for the winner of this series. (Compiler: Xu Ruicheng) 1150430
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.