Rockets Blow Late Lead in 112-108 OT Loss — Houston Rockets Vs Lakers Match Player Stats

The Houston Rockets vs Lakers match player stats ended with Houston losing 112-108 in overtime on Friday night after leading by six with under 30 seconds left. The collapse left the Rockets on the brink of elimination in their first-round series and turned a strong night from Alperen Sengun into another result decided by the final possessions.

Sengun Carried Houston

Sengun finished with 33 points and 16 rebounds, the most productive line on either side. Houston still could not close after building a six-point edge late, and the ending came down to a turnover, a foul, and a missed chance at the buzzer.

Marcus Smart drew the first break for Los Angeles when he was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 25 seconds left in regulation after a Houston turnover and made all three free throws. That cut into the lead, and LeBron James finished the next sequence by stealing the ball from Reed Sheppard and tying the game with a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.

Udoka Targets Houston Mistakes

Ime Udoka called the late sequence "Horrendous mistakes" and said, "I don't know if you want to say youth or scared of the moment or whatever the case." He also said, "It's obviously a weakness of ours to close out and finish," and added, "The amount of mistakes or the type of mistakes are egregious, and you can't have those."

He made the team watch the last 30 seconds of regulation immediately after the game, then told them to "Grow up" and, "You're not that young anymore." Reed Sheppard was direct about his turnover, saying, "It was a stupid turnover," and adding, "[Alperen Sengun's] man came up. I should have hit Alpie right over half court and just made the simple play. I tried to split the two defenders."

Durant's Absence Lingers

Kevin Durant missed the game with a sprained left ankle, his second absence in this series after sitting Game 1 with a right knee injury. When asked about a return for Sunday night’s Game 4 in Houston, Udoka said it was "Up in the air" and added, "I think we made some progress in the last few days, but we'll see how that [goes] with only one day in between."

James had a chance to end it at the buzzer, but his 3-point attempt missed and sent the game to overtime. The Rockets still left with the same issue that has followed them through the season: they had control late and lost it before the series shifts to Game 4.