Rockets beat Lakers 99-93 in Game 5, series 3-2

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points and Tari Eason added 18 to lead the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets to a 99-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series on Wednesday night, trimming Los Angeles' lead to 3-2 and forcing a Game 6 in Houston on Friday.

Alperen Sengun contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Houston, which has won the last two games despite the absence of leading scorer Kevin Durant. Durant has missed four of the five games due to injury. The Rockets overcame the return of Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who tallied 22 points and six assists after sitting out nine games with strained oblique muscles.

The Lakers, playing at home, committed 15 turnovers in their worst performance of the series. LeBron James scored 25 points, including 17 after halftime, with seven assists, while Deandre Ayton recorded 18 points and 17 rebounds. Los Angeles, still without Luka Doncic due to a strained hamstring, dropped to its second home loss in 16 games since February.

Houston maintained control after halftime, leading 87-74 with 5:55 remaining. The Lakers responded with an 11-1 run, closing to 88-85 on a layup by James. Reed...