LeBron James and Marcus Smart recorded double-doubles as the Los Angeles Lakers took a stranglehold on their first-round playoff series against the host Houston Rockets with a 112-108 overtime victory in Game 3 on Friday.
After James (29 points, 13 rebounds) forced OT with a 3-pointer, Smart scored eight of his 21 points in the extra period to put the Lakers up 3-0 in the Western Conference quarterfinal series.
Smart added a team-high 10 assists while Rui Hachimura put up 22 points for the Lakers.
The Lakers will look for a sweep of the best-of-seven set in Game 4 on Sunday at Houston.
The Rockets were without leading scorer Kevin Durant for the second time in the series. Durant, who missed Game 1 with a knee contusion, was a late scratch due to a left ankle sprain sustained in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Jabari Smith Jr. (24 points, 6 of 10 from 3-point range) spearheaded Houston’s comeback early in the fourth quarter before Alperen Sengun nearly carried the Rockets to victory in regulation. Sengun converted two late turnovers by James, sinking a layup with 49.6 seconds left, then turning a steal into a transition dunk and a 101-95 lead nine seconds later.
However, the Lakers got late life when Smart made three free throws after absorbing a foul from Jae’Sean Tate with 25.4 seconds left. Then, with the Rockets leading 101-98, James forced a turnover in the backcourt and followed by draining a 3-pointer that knotted the score with 13.6 seconds to go.
Each team missed another shot before regulation ended.
Sengun paced the Rockets with 33 points and 16 rebounds while Amen Thompson chipped in 26 points and 11 assists. Reed Sheppard, who gave the Rockets their first lead since the opening quarter with a trey at the 4:59 mark of the fourth quarter, tallied 17 points and seven assists.
The Lakers, Hachimura in particular, fashioned a scorching start to build an early double-digit lead.
Hachimura tallied 16 first-quarter points on 6-for-6 shooting, and he hit a 3-pointer in an 11-0 run that lifted the Lakers to a 34-23 lead. Jaxson Hayes was critical to that spurt, igniting it with a three-point play and capping the run with an alley-oop dunk with 2:20 left in the period. Hayes’ steal resulted in the Hachimura trey, and Smart also sank a 3-pointer during the rally.
The Lakers made that run with James on the bench. He returned and helped the Lakers extend to a 15-point lead. His son, Bronny James, drilled a 3-pointer and converted a reverse layup off a pass from his father.
When the elder James stroked a 3-pointer, the Lakers led 55-43. The margin was 11 at the intermission after the Lakers shot 57.5% from the floor, including 8 of 13 from behind the arc. LeBron James and Hachimura scored 16 apiece in the half.
