Second-year Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard threw an erratic pass in the dying seconds of Game 3 that led to a LeBron James three-pointer and ultimately a Los Angeles Lakers win in overtime.
In Thursday’s Game 5, Sheppard redeemed himself by stealing the ball from James and making a transition dunk to give Houston a seven-point lead in the final few minutes. The play proved crucial in the Rockets keeping their season alive with a 99-93 win.
After the game, Sheppard was asked how it felt to “turn the tables” on the Lakers star.
“It was good to get that one back for sure. It’s great,” he told “Inside the NBA” on ESPN.
“You never want to lose a game when you’re up, and you definitely don’t want to lose like that,” Sheppard said of the Game 3 loss.
“So being able to control that ending of the game a little better [in Game 5] and get the win was huge.”
Reed Sheppard Shines for Rockets
Besides the clutch steal, Sheppard made a 15-foot pull-up jumper in the final few minutes to silence the Crypto.com Arena crowd.
Sheppard and his teammates felt that the Game 5 win helped them erase the memories of the horrific Game 3 collapse, when they squandered a six-point lead with less than 30 seconds left. Per multiple reports, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka made his team watch the entire 30-second sequence in the locker room immediately after their OT loss.
“I’m super proud of us,” Sheppard said.
Lakers vs Rockets Game 6
The Rockets enter Game 6 as 3.5-point favorites to force a Game 7 back in Los Angeles. Ime Udoka’s team is trying to become the first in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit. With their wins in Games 4 and 5, they became just the 16th team to force a Game 6 after dropping the first three games of a seven-game series in the postseason.
Only four of those 16 teams forced a Game 7 in such a scenario. The Rockets have a chance to become the fifth on Friday night.
Rockets star Alperen Sengun issued a warning to the Lakers after the Game 5 win.
“Of course,” Sengun told ESPN’s Malika Andrews when asked if he and the Rockets would be returning to Los Angeles for a Game 7 on Sunday.
“Everybody is feeling amazing,” Sengun said on behalf of his teammates.
“Nobody is tired. Today everybody showed it. Now, we go out in front of our family and friends [in Game 6], take care of business and come back here for Game 7.”
“…We’re gonna come back here [to Los Angeles] and finish strong.”
Lakers vs Rockets Game 6 will tip off at 6:30 p.m. PT on Friday.
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