With 30 seconds remaining in a must-win Game 3, the Houston Rockets had the ball and a six-point lead. They only have themselves to blame for what happened next.
And also maybe LeBron James.
A mortifying collapse down the stretch turned a series-saving win into an 0-3 hole for the Rockets, who are now one game from a sweep at the hands of the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers.
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Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET in Houston. No NBA team has ever blown a 3-0 lead in the playoffs.
The fun began with a Marcus Smart steal that immediately turned into three free throws thanks to a dumb foul by Jae’Sean Tate. Smart made all three to cut the lead to three.
The Rockets still had the ball, though, and were still up three. They inbounded the ball to Reed Sheppard, who got the ball poked away by James in the backcourt. The ball ended up in the hands of Rui Hachimura, who got it to James, who passed it back and forth with Luke Kennard then hit a game-tying 3-pointer.
Tie game.
It somehow could have been even worse, as the Rockets didn’t burn enough clock on their would-be game-winning attempt — Alperen Şengün missed a hook shot — and left 1.2 seconds on the clock once James got the rebound and called timeout.
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It was, of course, James who got the ball as time expired and very nearly ended it there. His turnaround 3-pointer clanked out by just a bit to keep the game tied.
As often happens with teams who choked away a big lead late, overtime was not kind to the Rockets. They ended up losing 112-108 and will now need an unprecedented comeback just to advance in a series they were once overwhelming favorites.
James finished the game with 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 8 turnovers. At 41 years old, he played 45 minutes and sat for only two minutes total in the second half and overtime.
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Just as important for the Lakers was Smart, who had 21 points, 10 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. He scored eight of the Lakers’ 11 points in overtime.
The Rockets were notably missing Kevin Durant for the game, as he was ruled out with an ankle sprain sustained in Game 2. That’s not much of an excuse when the Lakers are missing their two leaders in points per game in Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the latter of whom might be returning soon.
Without Durant, the Rockets leaned heavily on Şengün, who scored 33 points on 15-of-27 shooting with 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson also combined for 50 points, but the offense was ultimately too disjointed to keep pace with the Lakers.
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