{"id":639803,"date":"2026-04-30T04:16:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639803\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T04:16:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:16:28","slug":"rockets-vs-lakers-game-5-live-score-updates-highlights-from-2026-nba-playoffs-first-round-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639803\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets vs. Lakers Game 5 live score, updates, highlights from 2026 NBA playoffs first-round series"},"content":{"rendered":"

As LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> move closer to advancing to the next round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, there’s still the goal of one game at a time. The NBA great knows nothing is guaranteed\u00a0in his 23rd season, but this time around it seems different.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles can take the series in five on Wednesday. The Rockets<\/a> defeated the Lakers 115-96 on Monday night. Amen Thompson led Houston with 23 points to shift the series back to the City of Angels.<\/p>\n

Rockets vs. Lakers: 2026 NBA Playoffs Game 5 score<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a rare moment, James was asked about the long-standing GOAT debate with Michael Jordan. While the two are considered as the Mount Rushmore of the NBA, is there a comparison? The King doesn’t believe so.<\/p>\n

“I hope I made him proud at least, wearing that No. 23,” James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin<\/a> this week. “I never have compared myself to MJ because our games are totally different. I have been a point-forward\/forward-point my whole life. I have always looked for the pass. MJ kind of looked for the shot. Not kind of, he did. He looked for the shot.”<\/p>\n

James is playing with a “second\u00a0wind” after the Lakers took a 3-1 lead in the series over the Houston Rockets. The No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup hasn’t lived up to expectations in the Western Conference First Round series. No Luka Doncic, but James is shooting 51.5% and averaging 20.9 points for the Lakers.<\/p>\n

On the other end, Kevin Durant has been\u00a0dealing with a bone bruise that has sidelined him for 2-3 weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Rockets are still without him in Game 5, which tilts the series towards the Lakers. The Rockets look to stave off elimination on the road. Houston is 29-23 in West play and ranks second, scoring 53.0 points per game in the paint.<\/p>\n

NBA PLAYOFFS HQ:\u00a0Live scores<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Full schedule<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Updated bracket<\/p>\n

Rockets vs. Lakers live updates, highlights from Game 5 of NBA playoffs<\/p>\n

4th Quarter- 9:55: Rockets hit back-to-back 3-pointers to take the largest lead at 82-69.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4th Quarter- 10:26: Houston holding steady with a 79-69 lead<\/p>\n

End of 3rd Quarter: Rockets 76, Lakers 67\u00a0<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 1:00: Rockets match the biggest lead of the game with a dunk by Josh Okogie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 2:00: Houston takes a 74-64 lead and can pull further away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rockets are feeling it in LA \ud83d\ude80<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf7f ESPN, ESPN App pic.twitter.com\/n43kfWcyod<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 2:52: Rockets take 72-64 lead from Aaron Holiday 3-pointer. Houston’s 12th make from beyond the arc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 3:41: Both teams are trading buckets once again. Houston up 69-64<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 5:19: LeBron James starting to make an impact. Houston still up 65-60.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bank is open for Bron \ud83d\udcb0 pic.twitter.com\/Pzrhr99xlB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 6:13: TV timeout. Rockets up big 65-56 on Lakers<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 7:24: Jabari Smith Jr. hits a 3-pointer for a 65-54 Houston lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 7:46: A flagrant foul called on Tari Eason with putting Austin Reaves on the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 7:46: Houston has everything going right with a 62-53 lead<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 9:36: A 3-pointer by Tari Eason put Houston up 59-51 on an 8-0 run.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 10:43: Austin Reaves hit another two from the free throw line to pull LA within three at 54-51<\/p>\n

3rd Quarter- 11:20: A quick pair of free throws from Austin Reaves. He has 13 points to lead all scorers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Start of the 3rd QuarterHaltime team statsHaltime StatsHouston\u00a0LAFG19-3817-40Field Goal %50433PT8-216-15Three Point %3840FT5-77-7Free Throw %71100Rebounds1521Offensive Rebounds27Defensive Rebounds1314Assists1413Steals63Blocks41Total Turnovers69Points Off Turnovers79Fast Break Points24Points in Paint2218Fouls108Technical Fouls00Flagrant Fouls00Largest Lead411Percent Led3362Halftime in Los Angeles: Rockets 51, Lakers 47\u00a0<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 15.8 seconds: Tari Eason responds with a 3-pointer for the Rockets for a 51-47 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 40.8 seconds:\u00a0Rui Hachimura hits a 3-pointer with Houston up 48-47<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 1:22: TV timeout. Houston up 48-44 with two quick buckets<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 2:26: Austin Reaves hit another 3-pointer to tie the game at 44.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 2:30: Both teams have traded buckets. Also, play has started to get more physical. Houston up 44-41<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 4:51: Josh Okogie hit a 3-pointer with Rockets up 40-36<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 5:42: A pair of Le”Bron James free throws pulls LA back within one at 37-36<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 6:05: Reed Sheppard layup puts Rockets up 37-34<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 6:23: TV timeout. Rockets take a 35-32 lead from a 3-pointer by Reed Sheppard.<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 7:45: Rockets tie the game at 32 with a pair of Amen Thomson free throws.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 7:59: Both teams trade bucket with Lakers holding a 32-30 lead.<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 10:36:\u00a0Jabari Smith Jr. hits another 3-pointer with LA’s lead down to 28-27.<\/p>\n

2nd Quarter- 11:12:\u00a0Dorian Finney-Smith nails a 3-pointer with LA up 28-24.<\/p>\n

End of 1st Quarter: Lakers 28, Rockets 21\u00a0<\/p>\n

Points off turnovers: LA- 7, Houston-0<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 48.5 seconds Amen Thompson hit a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding for the Rockets 26-18<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 1:06: Streaking layup by LeBron James for the Lakers largest lead 26-15<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 1:41: Austin Reaves heads to the line after being fouled on a 3-pointer. Sinks all three shots for a 24-15 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 2:09: Austin Reaves layup puts Lakers up 21-15<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 2:50:\u00a0TV timeout. Lakers lead 19-15. Both teams are starting to settle into the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 3:56: Austin Reaves nails a 3-pointer for his first points of the series. Lakers up 19-13.<\/p>\n

AUSTIN REAVES FROM DEEP \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n

Welcome back \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/5Wg90m1O2F<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 4:15:\u00a0LeBron James missed an ally-oop dunk on one end and comes back with a steal, his 500th in playoff history. Lakers up 16-13.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 5:34: Austin Reaves in the game. His first action since April 2 after missing nine games.<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 5:39: Lakers take the biggest lead thus far 14-9 over Rockets. A quick 8 points from Marcus Smart<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 7:58: LeBron James with a nice assist to\u00a0Rui Hachimura for a dunk. Lakers retake the lead 7-6\u00a0<\/p>\n

LeBron James with a bounce pass to Rui Hachimura for the fastbreak dunk (with a replay) pic.twitter.com\/URUWDx12cz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 8:48: Both teams are struggling early with the Lakers up 5-4<\/p>\n

1st Quarter- 9:33: Smart heads to the line after a foul with Rockets up 4-3\u00a0<\/p>\n

1st Quarter-11:37: Lakers open the game with a 3-0 lead with a triple from Marcus Smart.<\/p>\n

After a 20-minute delay Tip-off in Los Angeles\u00a0Delayed start for the game\u00a0<\/p>\n

10:18 p.m. ET Cleveland takes 3-2 series leas with 125-120 win<\/p>\n

10:17 p.m. ET Cleveland up 125-120 with 2.4 seconds left. Not sure Toronto has enough time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

10:13 p.m. ET- Cleveland up 125-120 with Toronto inbounding 18 seconds left<\/p>\n

10:10 p.m. ET- Cleveland up 124-120 with 22.5 seconds left\u00a0<\/p>\n

10:07 p.m. ET- The Cavs<\/a> and Raptors<\/a> game has pushed back the start time for the Rockets and Lakers. There’s currently 2:01 left in the 4th quarter with Cleveland up 124-116.<\/p>\n

Austin Reaves read to go for the Lakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Austin Reaves has been upgraded to available tonight vs. HOU for Game 5, the Lakers say. He\u2019ll play for the first time since April 2, recovering from his Grade 2 left oblique strain one day shy of a month.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 30, 2026<\/a>Reactions from Rockets vs. Lakers Game 5<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant is out for Game 5 against the Lakers, the team announced.<\/p>\n

Durant missed the past two games because of a sprained left ankle and bone bruise. pic.twitter.com\/71AH76bRLN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Austin Reaves arrives ahead of Game 5 vs. the Rockets. He’s a gametime decision to return \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

Watch Rockets-Lakers at 10 ET on ESPN and the ESPN App \ud83c\udf7f pic.twitter.com\/oZ0qd3BehI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 29, 2026<\/a>How to Watch\u00a0Houston Rockets (52-30) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29) Game 5 NBA PlayoffsWednesday, April 29 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN\u00a0
Lakers lead series 3-1\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lakers vs. Rockets Game 5 will be broadcast by ABC on ESPN and will stream live on the ESPN app<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows\u2014anytime, anywhere\u2014only in the ESPN app.<\/p>\n

More NBA Playoffs news:<\/p>\n