A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Sep 25, 2020 at 5:54pm PDT Meanwhile, L.A. took much better care of the basketball, totaling 11 turnovers for the game… James scored 29 points and the Lakers wrapped up their first trip to the Western Conference finals since 2010 by topping the Houston Rockets 119-96 on Saturday night in Game 5 at Walt Disney World. Final. This site is operated jointly by NBA and WarnerMedia. If Houston loses, its season ends in the second round of the playoffs for a second straight year. If this is a team with a comeback left in them, they certainly haven't shown it. In short, this lineup has all the benefits of being small – shooting, speed, the ability for bigs to defend guards – while still being big … errr … long. Well, not literally. In the end, the Lakers clinched victory and drove themselves to a commanding position in their second-round series. Profit so rarely presents itself on a silver platter like this, and hey, I feel obligated to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, this is the moment Harden turns it around and finally figures it out in the postseason. If you make a request through the WarnerMedia Privacy Center, Davis, Lakers run past Rockets for 3-1 West semifinals lead Anthony Davis was the biggest player on the floor, and the Houston Rockets had no answers. Take just these playoffs: Caruso’s 15.0 net rating ranks second amongst all NBA players in the postseason*, meaning the Lakers are 15 points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. LeBron is 6’9’’. Saturday’s Game 5 between the Rockets and Lakers tips off at 7:00 p.m. Central, with a national TV broadcast on ESPN. Accessibility and Closed Caption | The playoffs are being played in the fall, but more accurately, it's that time on the NBA calendar. Previously, only three teams since 1983-84 had held an opponent to one offensive rebound in the NBA Playoffs (via Stathead Basketball). If you’re a diehard that’s watched every Lakers game for the last two seasons, you know how good Alex Caruso is. Well, you couldn’t tell! If you make a request through Houston Rockets Rockets HOU. The Lakers hoped to face the Thunder, especially as they battled and extended the series to Game 7. Terms of Use | 88. 96. scores. Among the most eye-popping Game 4 stats that Houston will absolutely have to change to have a good chance to push the Lakers in Game 5 is the rebounding battle. Do Not Sell My Personal Information | The game was won with some incredible first half defense from their small ball unit featuring Markieff Morris at the five. These two teams have met in a great series so far, which should lead to a good game on Saturday night. Houston's effort in Game 4 was pitiful, and it took a fourth-quarter nap by the Lakers to give them even the faintest glimmer of a comeback hope. In fact, put a little bit less import on the third quarter as well, when the Lakers played Houston to a 29-all draw. Los Angeles Lakers Lakers LAL. James scored 29 points and the Lakers wrapped up their first trip to the Western Conference finals since 2010 by topping the Houston Rockets 119-96 on Saturday night in Game 5 at Walt Disney World. ... Game 5. 97. The Lakers quickly squashed it, and they've taken the Rockets completely out of their preferred playing style over the past few games. Get a summary of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets basketball game. They've been held to only 202 total points over the past two games, and with Danuel House now out for the series, the cavalry isn't coming to fix this broken offense. THE CARUSHOW Rockets (+225) Over 215.5 (-110), Under 215.5 (-110) Lakers -6.5; The Lakers are the clear favorites here to close out the series and rightfully so. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/1x9phU2gTE, Copyright © 2021 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. 9/11/2020 Associated Press WATCH BY QUARTERS - ESPN HD - LINK 2. A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Sep 10, 2020 at 3:34pm PDT. He sets screens at opportune times to create baskets for teammates. A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Sep 11, 2020 at 12:25pm PDT. They won the offensive rebounding battle 12-to-1 on Thursday. the NBA Privacy Center, it will apply to data controlled independently by the NBA. "It's the reason I wanted to be a part of this franchise, to take them back to a place that they were accustomed to being -- and that's competing for a championship," James said. L.A. grabbed 52 boards to just 26 for the Rockets, including a 12-1 beating on the offensive boards. It's that time of year again, folks. Defense requires five teammates to be on a string, especially in a trapping or switching system against a unique offense like Houston’s. They boasted 25 fast break points in Game 4, which was the most by the Lakers in a playoff game since June 8, 2001, in the Finals vs. Philadelphia, when they also had 25. WarnerMedia Privacy Center | Payton says LeBron is 'better all-around' than M.J. The Lakers won Game 3 by holding Houston to 38 points in the second half - and clamped down again in the first half of Game 4. Meanwhile, the Lakers are simply bigger and longer even with their “small” group, and that isn’t changing. All Rights Reserved. After scoring 16 points in Game 4, he’s averaging 9.3 points on 58.3% shooting and 45.0% from 3, after going for 5.4 points on 38.1% FG’s and 20.0% 3’s against Portland. The Lakers also have two bench players that come in and are excellent on defense, the 6’8’’ Kyle Kuzma and 6’5’’ Alex Caruso. Final. Below are three things you need to know: DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE He rotates to the right spot on the perimeter, or cuts to the rim to get himself open shots when the defense focuses on – most often – LeBron. Game 4 between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers was a roller-coaster ride for both teams. NBA Playoffs Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Regular Season Series Rockets vs. Lakers score, takeaways: Los Angeles finishes Houston in Game 5 to advance to conference finals The Lakers have advanced to the … A post shared by Mike Trudell (@miketrudell) on Sep 10, 2020 at 8:31pm PDT. Davis, Lakers run past Rockets for 3-1 West semifinals lead Anthony Davis was the biggest player on the floor, and the Houston Rockets had no answers. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets: Lakers -6.5 Houston's effort in Game 4 was pitiful, and it took a fourth-quarter nap by the Lakers to give them even the faintest glimmer of … Since losing Game 1, the Lakers have gone on to win three straight games by commanding margins. Coming into Game 5, Harden owned a record of 1-5 in his last elimination six games, averaging 23.8 points, 38% shooting from the field, and 25% from 3 … Los Angeles Lakers Lakers LAL. Los Angeles Lakers Lakers LAL. As such, it will have to come back to all-out effort from Houston, which L.A. will try and match to deal a knock-out blow. They averaged over 45 per game during the regular season. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Game 5 Betting Odds. If the Rockets win, Game 6 would take place on Monday night. GAME 5 : Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers. the advanced metrics will tell you the same story. NBA Privacy Center | Morris is 6’8’’. Covering the impact of coronavirus on the sports world. It's James Harden collapse season. Davis will be the focus as the Lakers finish off the Rockets in Game 5. But the simplest explanation is usually the correct one, and that's that Harden, for a variety of mostly explainable reasons, is a worse player in the playoffs, and by trapping him so aggressively, the Lakers have essentially made him a spectator in this series. Championship Press Conference: Alex Caruso | Lakers, Championship Press Conference: Markieff Morris | Lakers. LeBron, Rondo spark Lakers to 112-102 victory over Rockets. | 2020 NBA Playoffs: Lakers vs. it will apply to data controlled jointly by the NBA and WarnerMedia as well as other data controlled by WarnerMedia. Rockets odds, picks, Game 5 predictions from projection model on 61-33 roll SportsLine's advanced computer model simulated Saturday's Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Rockets HOU. It’s obvious from the eye test alone. We know the Lakers have that defensive club in their bag since that group started the second half of Game 3, and held Houston to 39 points, and then limited them to 41 in the first half of Game 4. Against the Rockets, his shooting stats have begun to catch up with his advanced stats. Give Vegas credit: the books know how to set a line. ... Game 5. Davis, Green and Rajon Rondo all had three offensive boards themselves, helping the Lakers take 88 shots to Houston’s 65, more than making up for the Rockets being +5 in 3-point makes (14 to 9) and +15 in free throw makes (30 to 15). The Lakers carry a 3-1 series lead into Game 5, with a chance to clinch a trip to the Western Conference Finals on the line on Saturday night. The Jim Rome Show: Ben Golliver talks Daniel House Jr. Payton says LeBron is 'better all-around' than Jordan, Clippers' Leonard (foot) to miss at least a week, Nets' Nash: Harden 'back to square one' after setback, Kobe Bryant, LLC files trademarks for apparel, footwear, NBA injury updates: Harden suffers setback, Ranking Curry's craziest shots during April hot streak, Ranking Curry's craziest shots from hot streak, Nash: Nets' Harden 'back to square one' after setback, Clippers' Leonard (foot) to miss at least one week. This stat speaks to two things: the Lakers played more consistently hard than Houston, though part of that can be ascribed to the Rockets being a bit demoralized at how difficult it is for them to score, and how little adjustments they’re able to make. However, the fourth-seeded Rockets’ firepower was too much for them, hence they face an opportunity to upset the first-seeded Lakers. It's game day. The Lakers blew a 21-point lead in Game 2 but outscored Houston by 10 in the fourth quarter to win 117-109. Rockets game … 1:13 pm ET. section: | slug: nba-playoffs-betting-odds-picks-schedule-lakers-finish-off-demoralized-rockets-in-game-5 | sport: basketball | route: article_single.us | Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers. 9/10/2020 Associated Press That’s one reason to be impressed with LAL, since Morris hadn’t played with the LeBron James/Anthony Davis/Kentavious Caldwell Pope/Danny Green group at all. WEST SEMIFINALS – Game 5 – NBA Playoffs – 12 Sep 2020. Saturday’s Game 5 could be the last game of their season, and potentially of the Mike D’Antoni era, with the two-time Coach of the Year yet to have his contract extended. They've taken only 63 total 3-pointers in the past two games. There just isn't much fight left in the Rockets. The Lakers vs Rockets live stream of game 5 cannot be anything less than a triumph, at least for LeBron James, who is practically unwilling to do anything in less than dominant fashion. Houston Rockets Rockets HOU. No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. Get a summary of the Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers basketball game. If the Rockets are as pathetic on the boards as they were in Game 4, Davis will get plenty of opportunities for free points on putbacks, and if anything, his volume has been somewhat low given how advantageous this matchup is. As LeBron said after the game, it’s not like this is really a “small” group. © 2004-2021 CBS Interactive. 92. Without Harden and the 3-ball, Houston just doesn't have a reliable method of scoring. The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers will meet up in Game 5 of their best of seven series. The rotations have been crisp, the effort terrific, the versatility on point. This is Anthony Davis' exact average for the series, but the potential ugliness of a closeout game favors him. All rights reserved. by Adu September 12, 2020. Frank Vogel’s a fan: Caruso was huge off the bench yet again, scoring 16 points on 5 of 9 FG’s including a dagger 3 in the final minute to help the @Lakers go up 3-1 on Houston. Unless Russell Westbrook or Eric Gordon truly pops in this game, the Rockets won't be able to beat the Laker traps offensively. 78. Pop on Spurs' $25K fine: 'I didn't give it much thought', Lakers' Vogel: Davis may return Thursday vs. Mavs, NBA injury updates: Ball could return in 7-10 days. So yes, a player of Harden's caliber technically could finally figure it out, but in this space, we're trusting history and sending the Lakers to the Western Conference finals. GLASS CONTROL Among the most eye-popping Game 4 stats that Houston will absolutely have to change to have a good chance to push the Lakers in Game 5 is the rebounding battle. 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories, at Final. Houston had a good stretch to cut it to nine with just under 5 minutes remaining in the half, but the Lakers quickly ran off 10 straight to push the lead back to 61-42, and it was 67-51 at the break. To opt out of the sale of your personal information as permitted by the California Consumer The purple and gold just need one more victory to advance to the 2020 WCF. Skip to main content Skip to navigation < > Menu ESPN. Manage Preferences. 119. He’s great off the basketball (as coach Frank Vogel will detail below, it’s not easy to do both). Watch NBA Playoffs Full Game Replay. Having just one offensive board tied a franchise opponent low in the postseason (May, 2006 vs PHX). On offense, he cuts to the hoop at the right time. Behold, the most symmetrical choke jobs you'll ever see: Game 5 vs. Warriors, 2015: 2-of-11 from the field, 14 points, loss, Game 6 vs. Spurs, 2017: 2-of-11 from the field, 10 points, loss, Game 4 vs. Lakers, 2020: 2-of-11 from the field, 21 points, loss. This game will tip off at around 8:00 PM Eastern time on ESPN. Lakers (-275) vs. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | Privacy Act, please use the links below to visit each company’s privacy center. GLASS CONTROL Green 6’7’’, KCP 6’5’’. September 12, 2020 0 comment. Their defense has just been too good. He’s great defensively, whether on or off the ball, standing up attacking players and rotating at all the right moments, getting deflections and so on. Game 4. Try to ignore the fourth quarter from Thursday’s Game 4, when the Lakers were essentially in a prevent defense, and allowed a big run to Houston in which the Rockets trimmed a 23-point lead with 7:21 to play down to as few as five points with 58.7 seconds before Alex Caruso’s corner three from LeBron ended their evening. The Lakers, meanwhile, are killing them in all the ways they were expected to. The latest Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers odds heavily favor LA to confirm their Conference Finals place on Saturday, as can be seen in the table below. If you haven’t watched Caruso and the Lakers play, the advanced metrics will tell you the same story. *Minimum 15 minutes per game, and two games played. http://imasportsphile.com/category/basketball/ where 200 hours of ventage NBA and NCAAM videos currently being posted Can they close out the series in Game 5? Davis is 6’10’’ with crazy length.