LeBron James and Rui Hachimura caught fire as the Lakers’ defense held Houston to a season-low score. Yankee Scores breaks down the 27-3 run that changed the game and previews the upcoming clash with the Thunder.

LeBron scored 28 points as the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers ousted the Houston Rockets from the playoffs with a 98-78 victory in Game 6 on Friday night, limiting Houston to its lowest scoring game of the year.

Lakers’ Record

The No. 4 seed Lakers move on to meet the top-seeded Thunder with Game 1 Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

Los Angeles has advanced to the second round for the first time since 2023 when it lost to Denver in the West finals despite missing top scorer Luka Doncic for the entire series.

Hachimura contributed 21 points, with five of them being 3-pointers.

Redick Hails Players

Redick praised everything that James was to his team, not just on Friday night but throughout the season.

“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and win a playoff series is a big deal,” coach JJ Redick said.

“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,” James said. “I thought defensively we came in with a great game plan and we executed that thing to a T.”

Thompson scored 18 points, while Sengun chipped in 17 points as Houston prepares to head home after suffering a first-round loss for the second consecutive year after falling to the Warriors in seven games last year.

The Rockets, who were ranked fifth in the West, managed to win their last two games after falling into an 0-3 deficit. They even forced Game 6 after losing superstar Kevin Durant for all but one game of the series due to a knee injury and an ankle problem.

Rockets’ Shooting Nightmare

However, the Rockets could not overcome their poor shooting percentage Friday. They managed to score only 35% of their shots and were terrible when shooting from beyond the arc. After combining for 26 3-pointers in the previous two games, the Rockets hit only five of their 28 attempts, including Reed Sheppard who went 1-for-10.

Los Angeles trailed by five points with five minutes remaining in the first half, but they managed to use a 27-3 run to gain a 38-19 lead with seven minutes left in the second quarter. Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, and James all hit 3-pointers during that scoring streak as Los Angeles gained an advantage, especially on a night where the Lakers hit 12 3-pointers.

Houston Rockets struggled early in the second quarter. The only shot they made was Sheppard’s one free throw before they missed 11 other shots in a row. However, Sheppard hit the Rockets’ first field goal in the period with six minutes and 55 seconds left in the half.

“Everybody’s disappointed, no doubt,” coach Ime Udoka said. “Not what we expected coming into the game tonight or the series in general. We all thought that we’d be taking it back for a Game 7.”

That did not change much for Houston, and Los Angeles held a 49-31 advantage at halftime.

Key Returns and Contributions

Reaves added 15 points for the Lakers in his second game after missing more than three weeks with an oblique injury, while Deandre Ayton recorded seven points and 16 rebounds.