Jabari Smith helps Rockets beat Lakers 99-93 to stay alive

jabari smith and the Houston Rockets are still alive after a 99-93 win over the Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday night, a result that kept them from going out after an 0-3 start to the series. Houston has already done what no NBA team has managed in a series after falling behind 3-0: win back-to-back games and push the door to a Game 7 back open.

Ime Udoka helped steady that push late. He pulled Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson aside multiple times down the stretch, then put one arm on each of their hips with 60 seconds left and Houston up five.

Udoka's late-game message

“When I’ve got my arms around Amen and Reed, I’m telling them, ‘This is the point in the game where you guys take over,’” Udoka said after the game. “You guys are the guards. Be demonstrative, get the ball and dictate whatever we’re getting.”

That message came from a coach in his third season with the Rockets, and it fit the moment. Udoka had called on the team to “grow up” after Game 3, when Houston coughed up two turnovers in the final 28 seconds of regulation and lost in overtime.

Houston's late control

The Rockets were cleaner this time. Their last turnover came from Alperen Şengün with nearly nine minutes left to play, a sharper finish than the one that sank them in Game 3.

Sheppard and Thompson were the players Udoka leaned on in the closing stretch, and the 99-93 final left Houston one win from forcing a Game 7. That would put the Rockets in position to become the fifth team in league history to do it after trailing 3-0.

Durant's limited series role

The series has also been shaped by Kevin Durant's absence. He has missed four of the five games because of knee and ankle injuries, including the last two Houston wins.

For Houston, the result is simple: one more win keeps the comeback alive. For the Lakers, the cushion is gone, and the margin for closing out the series has already narrowed to a single game.