Lakers close out Rockets Game 6 rout, face Thunder next

Houston — LeBron James 28 points were and Los Angeles Lakers Eliminate Houston with one 98-78 win Friday night in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series the rocket A season short of points.

The No. 4 seed Lakers advance to meet the top-seed the thunder with Game 1 on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

Los Angeles advanced to the second round for the first time since 2023 when it lost Denver Despite not being the top scorer in the West finals Luka Doncic For the entire series.

The Lakers used a 27-3 run in the first half to take an 18-point lead into halftime. They led by 22 with about three minutes left in the third quarter.

But Los Angeles opened the quarter on a 10-3 run, leading to five points Rui HashimuraMake it 81-58 with about seven minutes left.

Hachimura added 21 points with five 3-pointers.

Amen Thompson and had 18 points Alperen Sengun Added 17 for Houston, which is coming off a second straight losing season after a first-round playoff loss. the warriors In seven games last year.

The fifth-seeded Rockets fell into an 0-3 hole and won two straight. They forced a Game 6 despite missing a superstar Kevin Durant Knee injuries and ankle problems for all but one game in this series.

But they fell because of poor shooting on Friday, shooting just 35% overall and being particularly bad from long range. After making 26 3-pointers in the last two games, the Rockets made just 5 of 28 3-pointers Friday. Reed Shepard Going 1 for 10.

The Lakers trailed by 5 before using a 27-3 run with about seven minutes left in the second quarter. Hashimura, Jake Laravia And James all made 3-pointers in that stretch to help Los Angeles build a lead on a night when the Lakers made 12 3s.

The Rockets couldn’t get anything going early in the second quarter. They got a free throw from Sheppard but missed 11 shots before making the team’s first field goal with 6:55 left before halftime.

It didn’t spark anything for Houston, and the Lakers led 48-31 at halftime.

Austin Reeves Added 15 points for the Lakers in the second game after missing more than three weeks with an oblique injury and DeAndre Ayton Had seven points and 16 rebounds.