The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James were hoping to close out the Houston Rockets in Game 4 on Sunday night. Unfortunately, that result wasn’t in the cards.
When all was said and done, the Lakers suffered a blowout loss. They came up short by a final score of 115-96. Now, the two teams will head into a critical Game 5 on Wednesday night with everything on the line.
In Game 4, James struggled mightily. He scored just 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting to go along with nine assists, four rebounds, and eight turnovers. Deandre Ayton led the way before getting ejected with 19 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.
On the other side of the court, the Rockets stayed alive without Kevin Durant. Amen Thompson scored 23 points, while Tari Eason chipped in 20. Alperen Sengun had another nice game with 19 points.
That being said, Los Angeles has been put on noticed ahead of Game 5.
Kendrick Perkins Issues Strong Warning to Lakers Before Game 5
During an appearance on “First Take” on Monday morning, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins stated that he believes the Lakers must win Game 5.
âGame 5 is a must-win for the Lakers,” Perkins said. “I know that much.â
Should Los Angeles fail to close out the series at home in Game 5, it would create a very dangerous scenario. Heading back to Houston for a Game 6 would not be easy to win. Losing that one would quickly set up a winner-take-all Game 7.
Granted, the Lakers should still be heavily favored to win the series. Teams that take a 3-0 lead in the NBA Playoffs are a combined 159-0 in league history.
There is no reason to panic yet, but a scenario exists where the Rockets could pull off an NBA first comeback.
Los Angeles Is Getting Closer to Being Healthy
The Lakers taking a 3-0 series lead was shocking. They were able to do it without superstar Luka Doncic or star guard Austin Reaves.
Despite the absence of both stars, Los Angeles is getting healthier.
Doncic sounds like he’s about 10-14 days away from returning to the court. He isn’t going to be able to help the Lakers in their series against Houston, but if they can win the series he’ll have a chance to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Reaves, on the other hand, has been close to playing against the Rockets. It would not be surprising to see him make a return to the court in either Game 5 or Game 6.
It will be interesting to see what happens in Game 5 on Wednesday night. At least for Perkins, Los Angeles is facing a must-win scenario to avoid the risk of setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 and making brutal NBA history.
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