Lakers take commanding 3-0 lead over Rockets in playoff series

Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times on Apr 24, 2026

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HOUSTON — Marcus Smart had not been in the playoffs since 2023, having languished with Memphis and Washington, two teams unlike a Los Angeles Lakers franchise that views the playoffs as a birthright.

Now that Smart is back in the postseason with the Lakers, he has made up for that lost time, playing with zest, smarts and energy.

Smart’s eight points in overtime was part of his overall game of 21 points, 10 assists, five steals and two blocked shots plus his usual outstanding defense that helped the Lakers pull out a 112-108 win in overtime over the Houston Rockers Friday night at the Toyota Center.

Along with LeBron James collecting 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists and Rui Hachimura scoring 22 points, the Lakers now have a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Lakers can close out the first-round Western Conference series with a sweep by winning Game 4 here Sunday night.

Smart drilled a 3-pointer in the overtime for a 104-101 Lakers lead. After a missed shot, Smart crashed the boards and was fouled.

He made two free throws for a 109-105 lead and then made three of his next four free throws for what turned out to be the final points score in the game.

The Lakers opened a 15-point lead in the first half, but saw the Rockets crawl back to tie the score at 87-87 with six minutes and 22 seconds left.

It was game-on now.

When Reed Sheppard drilled a 3-pointer with 4:49 left, it gave the Rockets a 92-91 lead, their first since the first quarter.

The Lakers called a timeout to regroup.

But Jaxson Hayes missed twice, one of his shots getting blocked by Alperen Sengun.

Amen Thompson made one of two free throws and Sengun scored for a 95-91 Rockets lead that made the Lakers have to play catch-up from that point on.

After Sengun stole a pass from James and dunked for a 101-95 Rockets lead, the Lakers looked completely done.

But Smart stole the ball and got fouled shooting a 3-pointer. He made all three of his free throws to pull the Lakers to within 101-98 with 25.4 seconds left.

The Lakers now needed a stop on defense.

They got it when James tipped the ball away from Sheppard from behind. Smart got the ball. The ball eventually ended up back in the hands of James, who drilled a 3-pointer to tie the score at 101-101 with 13.1 seconds left.

The Lakers got another impressive defensive stop when Hayes forced Sengun into a bad shot that missed. James got the rebound and called a time out with 1.2 seconds left.

James took the last shot for the Lakers, the ball rimming out as time expired in the fourth quarter, the score tied at 101-101, the game going into overtime.

The night began with Austin Reaves being listed as questionable for the game, then with him warming getting up and eventually being downgraded to out because of his left oblique muscle strain. Reaves has missed all three playoff games and the last five regular-season games, the same as teammate Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain).

The night began for the Rockets with Kevin Durant working out in an attempt to play in the game, but he too was ruled out with a left ankle sprain suffered in Game 2 in Los Angeles. Durant was already dealing with a right knee contusion that forced him to miss Game 1.

This essentially meant both teams had to play on, to find a way even if they were missing key parts.

For the Lakers, the door opened for Rui Hachimura, who stepped through it with aplomb in the first quarter. He didn’t miss any of his field goals, shooting six for six from the field and three for three from 3-point range, scoring 16 points. He played all 12 minutes in helping the Lakers open a 39-32 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was a career-high for points in a quarter for Hachimura, regular season or playoffs.

Even Bronny James showed he was ready for the moment when the Lakers called on the second-year guard. He drilled a 3-pointer in the second quarter and then scored on a reverse layup off a lob pass from his father. Both plays drew cheers from the fans inside the arena.

Along with a defense that held the Rockets to 37.2% shooting in the first half, the Lakers lead 63-52 at the half.

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