LeBron James scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers closed out the Houston Rockets with a 98-78 victory in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series, holding Houston to a season-low point total. The Lakers advance to the second round to face top-seeded Oklahoma City, with Game 1 set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City — Los Angeles’ first trip to Round 2 since 2023.
Los Angeles turned the game with a 27-3 run in the first half and led by 18 at halftime. They pushed the margin to 22 late in the third before Houston mounted an 8-2 spurt to cut it to 71-55 entering the fourth. The Lakers opened the final period with a 10-3 burst, highlighted by five points from Rui Hachimura in that stretch. Hachimura finished with 21 points and five three-pointers.
Coach JJ Redick noted the significance of the series win after early doubts about the club, and praised James for setting the tone all season and again in the series. James said the team’s priorities were ball protection, rebounding and physical defense — a game plan they executed to force tough shots.
In Toronto, RJ Barrett buried a remarkable three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the Raptors to a 112-110 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their Eastern Conference first-round matchup.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson stressed the value of home-court advantage and the need for a quick recovery ahead of Sunday’s winner-take-all game. The Raptors remain without a playoff victory in Cleveland (0-for-10), but Scottie Barnes credited the team’s effort, saying everyone had to contribute and they made it tough on the Cavs.
For Cleveland, Evan Mobley finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 24, James Harden had 16, Jarrett Allen added 14 and Dean Wade contributed 10. Harden shot 5-of-14 (1-of-4 from three) and tallied nine rebounds and nine assists while committing four turnovers.