- Lakers confidently defeated the Houston Rockets in Game 5, 119-96
- After nine years, they are finally in the Conference finals.
- This might be the last game for Mike D’Antoni as the Rockets’ head coach.
James Breaks the Drought
The purple and gold might be in the conference finals for the first time since 2010, but that is not what they aimed before the season started. LeBron and the boys wanted a title, and reaching the West finals was just one step towards that goal.
“The opportunity to play for a championship, that’s what we’re all here for, that’s what we all signed up for,” LBJ said.
That was the primary motive during the entire year for James, who continued to punish the Rockets in tonight’s matchup like in the previous ones.
He had a team-high 29 points in 31 minutes of play, with 11 boards and 7 assists tearing apart the rivals on both ends of the floor. The entire starting lineup played well since the tip-off, immediately seizing the control of the game.
They scored 17 points allowing just four, with less than five minutes into the contest, quickly getting a 33-11 advantage with three minutes until the end of the first period. Houston was back early in the fourth, cutting the deficit to seven points 38-31, and was keeping the similar distance until the start of the third quarter.
That is when LAL delivered 13 unanswered points, practically breaking the opponents and wrapping up the series. At the start of the fourth, the Lakers reached a 30-point edge, 101-71.
Due to this situation, Frank Vogel gave the chance to play to all of his players on the bench. Anthony Davis had just 13 points and 11 boards with four assists, Markieff Morris scored 16, while Danny Green added 14. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ended the night with 10. Kyle Kuzma was inspired with 17 buckets off the bench.
On the other side, James Harden dropped 30 in 42 minutes, with six boards and five assists. Once again, he had no help, as all other Rockets’ players struggled badly in this match. Russell Westbrook, for example, had just 10 points, shooting 4-for-13 from the field. Eric Gordon had five, the same as Robert Covington. Jeff Green posted 13 off the bench.
“Tough season for us,” Harden said. “Obviously, it didn’t end like we wanted it to. Just got to figure it out.”
D’Antoni’s Future Unclear
Once the game concluded last night, Mike D’Antoni’s contract with the Houston Rockets expired. After four years in Texas, the two-time NBA Coach of the Year might leave Toyota Center and continue his career elsewhere.
“We’ll see what happens, but I couldn’t ask for a better situation. I had four years, and hopefully, it keeps going. You just never know.”
During those four years, the Rockets posted 217 wins and 101 losses, coming close to the big finals in 2018 once the Warriors eliminated them in seven games and went on to win the title against the Cavaliers. According to many, the referees heavily influenced during Game 7, helping the GSW win.
