James scored 29 points and hit a tying three with 13 seconds left to force overtime.
LeBron James refused to let the Los Angeles Lakers lose. With 13.1 seconds left in regulation and the game tied after his own clutch three-pointer, the 41-year-old carried a shorthanded Lakers team past the Houston Rockets 112 to 108 in overtime Friday night, pushing Los Angeles to a 3-0 series lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
James finished with 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block. He shot 4-of-9 from three-point range, and that fourth make was the one that mattered most, tying the score at 101 with under 15 seconds left and sending the game to overtime. Without it, the Lakers do not win.
How Marcus Smart sealed it
Marcus Smart took over from there. He scored eight of his 21 points during the extra period and added a team-high 10 assists across the night, finishing with a double-double in a performance that showed exactly why veterans matter in playoff situations. The Lakers played the final stretch of regulation and all of overtime without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both sidelined with injuries, and still found a way to outlast a Rockets team that had every reason to believe it could steal a game.
Houston stayed alive on the back of an enormous night from Alperen Sengun, who posted 33 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block. The 22-year-old center gave the Lakers problems all night and was the primary reason the game went to overtime rather than ending in regulation as a comfortable Lakers win. It was not enough.
Kevin Durant’s absence and the Rockets’ situation
Houston was again without Kevin Durant, who is dealing with an ankle sprain that has now kept him out of two straight games. The Rockets host Game 4 on Sunday and must win to avoid being swept out of the first round. A sweep would send the Lakers directly to the Western Conference semifinals. Houston’s roster is built around one of the second-youngest starting lineups in playoff history, and the youth showed in the final minutes of a game that slipped away despite a genuine opportunity to take it.
LeBron moves up the Lakers’ all-time playoff list
Beyond the win, James made franchise history Friday night. His four three-pointers in the game pushed him past Byron Scott on the Lakers’ all-time list for playoff triples, giving him 117 in his Lakers career. He now sits fourth in franchise history behind Kobe Bryant at 292, Derek Fisher at 219, and Michael Cooper at 124. James is within range of overtaking Cooper before this postseason ends.
The performance added another chapter to what has already been an unexpected playoff run for Los Angeles. Playing without two of its most important players, the team has leaned on James to carry a larger share of the load, and he has responded in every game.
Around the rest of the playoff bracket
Elsewhere Friday, the San Antonio Spurs fought back to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120 to 108 on the road, taking a 2-1 series lead. Stephon Castle scored 33 points and rookie Dylan Harper added career bests of 27 points and 10 rebounds. Victor Wembanyama remained in concussion protocol and watched from the bench after suffering a head injury in Game 2.
The Boston Celtics also moved ahead in their first-round series, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 108 to 100 to go up 2-1. Jayson Tatum scored 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and Jaylen Brown matched that total for Boston.