Hollywood legend Ben Stiller was all of us watching 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James take over a playoff game in 2026 on Friday.
“LeBron. Man.,” Stiller wrote on X after James made an incredible fallaway three to force overtime against the Houston Rockets in Game 3.
Stiller also had a message for James’ detractors.
“Can’t not love him,” Stiller wrote of James, who finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block in the Lakers’ 112-108 OT victory.
LeBron James Plays 45 Minutes
Remarkably, James played 27 of the possible 29 minutes in the second half and overtime, redefining the limits of what a 41-year-old can do in the NBA.
At one point, it appeared that James was nearly out of gas when the Rockets scored a transition bucket in the final two minutes of regulation. However, he kept going strong until the end, playing a key role in the Lakers erasing a six-point deficit in the final 30 seconds to force OT and pulling off the upset win in the extra period.
When the Rockets were up by six with 27.8 seconds left, Marcus Smart intercepted a pass from Jabari Smith and drew a foul on a three-point play. He made all three free throws to bring the Lakers within three. James then stole the ball from Rockets guard Reed Sheppard and made a game-tying three with 13.6 seconds. The Rockets had a chance to win in the final few seconds, but James, Smart and Co. played outstanding defense to deny Alperen Sengun a 7-foot shot, forcing overtime.
In overtime, James didn’t score any points but had one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block, while playing excellent defense on Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr.
LeBron James Leads Lakers to 3-0 Lead
At the start of the series, a host of analysts and sportswriters picked the Rockets to either sweep or win in five games. Oddsmakers pegged the Lakers as +550 underdogs, given the injuries to Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique). After Friday’s win, James explained why the injuries did not shake his team’s resolve.
“We don’t have the luxury of being passive or being complacent,” James said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“We don’t have the luxury to do that. Our whole mindset is we have to do everything it takes in that particular game and that particular moment in that particular possession in order for us to win basketball games, because we don’t have a long leash of error.”
Smart believes the injuries to Doncic and Reaves brought the team closer.
“Two of our best players down we gotta be the most desperate team and that’s how we’ve been playing,” Smart said after the Lakers seized a 3-0 lead.
“Chemistry is good and you’re starting to see confidence go up.”
The Lakers can close out the Rockets on Sunday to advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they’re expected to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Reaves is due back soon, Doncic could potentially rejoin his teammates in the second round.
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