LeBron James puts on vintage performance in Game 6 victory
LeBron James finishes with 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers defeat the Rockets in Game 6.
HOUSTON (AP) — When leading scorers Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves were both injured in an April 2 game, coach JJ Redick admitted things felt bleak for the Los Angeles Lakers.
But instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the Lakers banded together to fight through the adversity and beat the Houston Rockets in six games to move on to face top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals.
Los Angeles has advanced to the second round for the first time since 2023 when it lost to Denver in the West final.
LeBron James had 28 points in Game 6 on Friday night and the Lakers used a tenacious defense to hold the Rockets to their fewest points of the season in the 98-78 victory.
“It speaks to his greatness,” Redick said. “To me, he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player. You can argue all you want and I really don’t care to postulate on who’s the greatest of all time, but he’s one of, if not the greatest of all time.”
“And for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it’s really — it’s baffling in some ways,” Redick continued.
Los Angeles raced out to a 3-0 lead in the series before losing two games to force Game 6 in Houston against a Rockets team that was missing Kevin Durant for five of six games.