Ime Udoka Steers Lakers - Rockets to 99-93 Game 5 Win
The lakers - rockets game flipped in Houston’s favor late Wednesday night, when Ime Udoka pulled Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson aside with 60 seconds left and told them to take over. The Rockets beat the Lakers 99-93 in Game 5, staying alive after falling behind 3-0 and keeping a shot at becoming the fifth team in league history to force a Game 7 from that hole.
Udoka’s late call
With Austin Reaves at the free throw line, Udoka put one arm on each player’s hips and delivered the message plainly: “This is the point in the game where you guys take over.” He followed that with, “You guys are the guards. Be demonstrative, get the ball and dictate whatever we’re getting.”
That moment came after Houston had spent the series trying to steady itself under pressure. Udoka had called on the Rockets to “grow up” after Game 3, and he used the final minute of Game 5 to hand the offense to two young guards instead of letting the closing seconds drift.
Houston’s turnover edge
The Rockets also cleaned up the mistakes that had hurt them earlier in the series. Their last turnover in Game 5 came from Alperen Şengün with nearly nine minutes left to play, a far different finish from Game 3, when Houston coughed up two turnovers in the final 28 seconds of regulation before losing in overtime.
Kevin Durant missed four of the five games in the series because of knee and ankle injuries, and he sat out the Rockets’ last two wins. That left Houston leaning on a younger core while Udoka, in his third season with the team, pushed the group toward a tighter late-game approach.
Game 7 pressure
The win did not erase the series history around Houston’s comeback attempt. No NBA team has ever won a series after trailing 3-0, and only five teams in league history have even forced a Game 7 after falling into that deficit. The Rockets still need one more win to do it.
For Sheppard and Thompson, the final minute was the assignment. For Houston, it was the difference between a season ending in Game 5 and a chance to extend the series one more night.
