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LeBron James knew what was at stake in this first-round playoff series and that it was on his shoulders to meet the moment and have his teammates follow his lead.
James simply elevated his play like he has so many times over his illustrious 23-year NBA career, playing with a purpose and willing the Lakers to a 98-78 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night at Toyota Center.
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His 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds is why the Lakers won the best-of-seven series, 4-2, over the Rockets and why L.A. will meet the defending NBA champion Thunder on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
James and the Lakers had been on the verge of collapsing in these playoffs, their commanding 3-0 lead cut to 3-2.
But the Lakers and James let the Rockets know they were going to stay the course in Game 6 by building a 25-point lead in the third quarter.
James began to assert himself in the second quarter, scoring 14 points on five-for-eight shooting, making two of three treys. He outscored the Rockets 14-13 in the quarter and it was his effort that put the Lakers in front for good, helping them build a 19-point lead that was never in jeopardy.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart dives behind Rockets center Alperen Sengun for a loose ball during the first half of Game 6. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
James was being a leader by example, something that increased on April 2 once Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain) were injured in Oklahoma City and done for the regular season.
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“I mean, I’ve done it throughout my career, for the majority of my career, but they still have to accept it,” James said. “I would say we were a totally different team before April 2nd and for them to accept the fact to allow me to lead them and kind of command them in a way that I think I saw fit, being an extension of our coaching staff on the floor, like I said, it means a lot to me.
“So, I’m happy I was able to do some things out there to make them understand that I guess I know what I’m doing at times and those…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lebron-james-leads-lakers-rout-043013311.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-02 04:30:00
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