A miracle close to regulation saw the Lakers force overtime before controlling the extra session to steal Game 3, 112-108, and take a commanding series lead.<\/p>\n
Houston trailed by as many as 15 in the first half but was the aggressor for the entire second half. Up six with just under 30 seconds left, the Rockets capitulated, allowing the Lakers to tie the game and even have a chance to win it before overtime.<\/p>\n
LA never trailed in overtime, built a multi-possession lead in the final minutes and knocked down clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the win.<\/p>\n
The Lakers bench outscored the Rockets 24-3, a huge flip from Game 2. That helped LA overcome allowing 18 offensive rebounds.<\/p>\n
It was a 3-pointer party early as both teams drained a pair of long-range efforts each. Rui Hachimura was leading LA with a fast 11 points while LeBron James and Luke Kennard were the only other Lakers to score with three points each. Jabari Smith Jr. had six points for Houston.<\/p>\n
At the 6:53 mark, Los Angeles was up by four.<\/p>\n
Smith Jr. picked up two fouls and a technical foul, forcing him to the bench. It was an evenly matched affair with neither team able to grab a commanding lead. Jaxson Hayes\u2019s seven points off the bench provided a massive spark that led to an 11-0 scoring run.<\/p>\n
With 2:20 left in the quarter, LA was up by 11.<\/p>\n
Houston then hit back, cutting the deficit to four. Hachimura responded with one of his signature midrange jumpers. He had 16 points, which was a career high for him in a quarter.<\/p>\n
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by seven.<\/p>\n
Smith Jr. opened the second period with a triple for the Rockets. Jarred Vanderbilt responded with a tip-in off a Jake LaRavia missed shot on the other end. LeBron began taking over, scoring seven points.<\/p>\n
LeBron also threw a lob to Bronny James, who had five points off the bench, for a layup that had everyone buzzing.<\/p>\n
The Lakers pushed their run to 14-4 and built their biggest lead of the half at 15 points. Amen Thompson tried to stop some of the bleeding with an easy dunk. LA suddenly went cold from the field, missing five shots in a row.<\/p>\n
LeBron converted on a pair of free throws and Kennard also converted on a midrange jumper that helped Los Angeles keep a double-digit lead of 11 at halftime.<\/p>\n
Marcus Smart\u2019s layup opened the second half. The Rockets then slowly started chipping into LA\u2019s lead, making it a single-digit deficit. Los Angeles was forced to call a timeout as the lead shrank to six.<\/p>\n
Out of the break, Deandre Ayton scored his first points of the night on a layup.<\/p>\n
Reed Sheppard completed a three-point play to make it a five-point deficit. Thompson then grabbed an LA turnover and dunked on the other end. Los Angeles\u2019 offense was suddenly completely non-existent.<\/p>\n
Kennard scored on a much-needed midrange jumper.<\/p>\n
Thompson was the driving force for Houston as his five-point surge cut the deficit to one. Hachimura drained a triple to give the Lakers some cushion, his first points since the first quarter.<\/p>\n
Both teams ended the quarter trading buckets with LA holding onto a five-point lead going into the fourth.<\/p>\n
LeBron converted on a layup off the assist from Vanderbilt to open the final frame. Houston missed their first two shot attempts before Smith Jr. drained two 3-pointers, helping the Rockets inch even closer.<\/p>\n
At the 6:50 mark, Los Angeles was up by four.<\/p>\n
Thompson then tied the game on back-to-back buckets thanks to Lakers\u2019 turnovers. Smart tried to help LA stay in the lead with a layup, but Sheppard drained a triple that gave the Rockets the lead by one with 4:59 left.<\/p>\n
Houston\u2019s lead grew to four with 3:32 left.<\/p>\n
Hayes threw down a dunk that made it a two-point deficit for Los Angeles. LA was having the absolute worst time keeping the ball in their hands and couldn\u2019t convert on shots. Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn made it a four-point lead for Houston with 49 seconds left.<\/p>\n
LeBron turned the ball over, and it led to another two from \u015eeng\u00fcn. After a rushed 3-pointer from LeBron missed, Smart came away with an improbable steal and was fouled from behind the arc. He converted on all three free throws.<\/p>\n
In the most insane turn of events, LeBron forced a steal on the next possession and drained a triple that tied the game with 13 seconds left. Houston missed their shot attempt, and LeBron caught the ball and called a timeout with 1.2 seconds left.<\/p>\n
LeBron had the ball and missed the shot, leading to overtime.<\/p>\n
Smart started the scoring in overtime with a corner three. After one free throw from Hachimura, Los Angeles was up four. \u015eeng\u00fcn scored again, but Hachimura answered on the other end with a layup.<\/p>\n
The teams traded baskets with LA\u2019s leading by two with 1:46 left. The game turned scrappy and ugly with multiple jump balls and missed shots but few points. Smart broke the seal with a pair of free throws off an offensive rebound, making it a four-point lead for LA with 46 seconds left.<\/p>\n
Smith Jr. took a 3-pointer and missed it. Smart rebounded the ball and was fouled before converting on two more clutch free throws.<\/p>\n
With 35 seconds left and Los Angeles up six. Sheppard connected on a triple. The Rockets then fouled Smart again and he split the pair.<\/p>\n
Houston missed a series of threes and shots in the final seconds as LA pulled off an improbable win.<\/p>\n
LeBron finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Hachimura ended with 22 points, shooting 8-14 from the field. Smart logged 21 points with four rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks.<\/p>\n
Kennard had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Hayes pitched in with 12 points off the bench. Bronny scored five points in nine minutes of play. Vanderbilt notched five points with six rebounds.<\/p>\n
Game 4 will be on Sunday against the Houston Rockets at 6:30 PM PT. You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians<\/a>.<\/p>\n