LeBron James scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Houston Rockets with a 98-78 win in Game Six of their Western Conference first-round playoff series, holding Houston to a season low in points.
The Lakers advance to face top-seeded the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Game One scheduled for Tuesday in Oklahoma City. It is the Lakers’ first trip to the second round since 2023, when they lost to Denver in the Western Conference finals.
“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and win a playoff series is a big deal,” coach JJ Redick said. James added: “In order for us to win we had to protect the ball, we had to rebound and we had to be physical, make them take tough shots. I thought defensively we came in with a great game plan and we executed that thing to a T.”
Los Angeles used a 27-3 run in the first half to build an 18-point halftime lead. They led by 22 with about three minutes left in the third quarter before Houston went on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 71-55 entering the fourth. The Lakers opened the final period with a 10-3 spurt, including five points from Rui Hachimura, extending the lead to 81-58. Hachimura finished with 21 points and five three-pointers.
Redick praised James’ impact on the team all season and in the series: “He just has this ability to set the tone for the entire group and he did that again tonight and our guys responded.”
Barrett hits winning shot in OT as Raptors force Game Seven
RJ Barrett hit an incredible three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Toronto Raptors to a 112-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, forcing a seventh game in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said: “This is why you fight so hard to get home-court advantage. We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. This is the playoffs, this is what it’s about. We’ve got to recover and get ready for Sunday’s game.”
The Raptors remain without a playoff win in Cleveland — now 0-for-10 — but Scottie Barnes emphasized the team’s effort: “We’ve got to be ourselves. Do what we did tonight, play super hard, make it tough for every single guy out there on the floor. That’s made an impact. Guys stepped up when we needed them to. It’s going to take everybody.”
For Cleveland, Evan Mobley posted 26 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 24, and James Harden had 16. Jarrett Allen added 14 and Dean Wade had 10. Harden shot 5-of-14 overall and 1-of-4 from three, finishing with nine rebounds and nine assists but committing four turnovers.