The Los Angeles Lakers have done exactly what was predicted and took care of business on Saturday night in Game 5 against Houston. The Lakers followed a similar pattern against the Portland Trail Blazers, losing Game 1 and seeing out the series in the following games.
They quickly jumped to a 22-point lead in the first quarter and ultimately cruised to a 119-96 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of their second-round series. And with the win, they took the series, 4-1, to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2010.
LeBron James led his boys to victory, finishing with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in a dominant performance.
Watch the Game highlights below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQq-xVC6-e8
The Lakers also made headlines on the night for their 3-point shooting, as they knocked down 19 shots from 3-point land, setting a new franchise playoff record.
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James Harden did his thing, registering 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough for the Rockets. They could not shake off their terrible start, and though they made a run late in the second quarter and early in the third, they completely collapsed after that point. They shot just 37.1 percent from the field and turned the ball over 12 times in the loss.
LeBron James in his 17-year NBA career has been a revelation, and last season was the first time since 2010 that he did not make the NBA Finals and the first time since 2005 that he didn’t make the playoffs. After the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis in the offseason, it was no doubt that the latter would change and now LeBron is on a mission to make sure the former is remedied as well.
He set the tone early in one of his best performances of the postseason and did it all in just 30 minutes, driving hard to the rim for multiple baskets in the first few minutes, including an awesome coast-to-coast slam.
LeBron put in an impressive show while also made history in Game 5 as he joined Oscar Robertson as the only two players in NBA postseason history to put up at least 250 points, 100 rebounds, and 80 assists in their first 10 games of a playoff season.
After everything he’s done in his legendary career, it’s surprising to hear there are new records LeBron can set.
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