Lakers win 112-108 in OT
- LeBron James hit a tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 112-108 in overtime on Friday to grab a 3-0 first-round series lead. - James finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Marcus Smart scored eight of his 21 points in overtime after Houston let a six-point lead slip away in the final 30 seconds. - Houston was again without Kevin Durant, and the Lakers can finish the sweep in Game 4 on Sunday in Houston. (nba.com)
LeBron James dragged the Lakers back from the edge Friday night, and Los Angeles left Houston with a 112-108 overtime win and a 3-0 series lead. (nba.com) (espn.com) James scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Game 3, then drilled a tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation. Marcus Smart added 21 points and scored eight in overtime. (nba.com) (foxsports.com) Houston led by six with under 30 seconds remaining, but the Lakers forced overtime with a late steal and James’ game-tying shot. The Rockets did not score enough in the extra period to recover. (nba.com) (espn.com) The result pushed the No. 4 seed Lakers one win from a sweep of the No. 5 seed Rockets in the Western Conference first round. Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, April 26, at Toyota Center. (espn.com) (nba.com) Houston played again without Kevin Durant, who was listed out with an ankle injury for Game 3. The Rockets had also dropped the first two games in Los Angeles, 107-98 and 101-94. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Alperen Sengun gave Houston production inside, finishing with a playoff career-high 33 points and 16 rebounds. But the Rockets still ended the night down 3-0 in a series where no NBA team has come back from that deficit. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) For the Lakers, the finish looked like a LeBron possession stretched across 30 seconds: a steal, a tying 3, then enough control in overtime to flip the game. By the final buzzer, Houston’s late lead was gone and the series was nearly over. (nba.com) (espn.com)
