Overview
- Houston, which rolled Sunday 115-96 in Game 4 without the injured Kevin Durant, cut Los Angeles' lead to 3-1 with Game 5 in L.A. on Wednesday.
- Amen Thompson set the tone in transition and finished with 23 points to lead a balanced Rockets offense.
- Tari Eason added 20 points and brought constant pressure on the glass and on the ball.
- Relentless defense forced 21 Lakers turnovers and produced 17 Houston steals, creating easy scores in transition.
- Deandre Ayton was ejected for a flagrant-2 after hitting Alperen Sengun in the head and exited with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while LeBron James had 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting with eight turnovers.