Lakers player grades: L.A. again fails to put the Rockets away

Coming into Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, it looked like the Lakers were in position to win and close out this first-round playoff series. They returned home after losing Game 4, 115-96 , and they got star guard Austin Reaves back from an oblique strain that had sidelined him for nearly four weeks. They especially looked primed to put this series away quickly when they went up by 11 points late in the first quarter thanks to the boost that Reaves' return gave them.

But Houston tightened things up fairly quickly in the second quarter and took a 51-47 halftime lead, and it continued to flex in the third quarter, which resulted in the Lakers being down 76-67 heading into the final frame. Houston led 87-74 about midway through the fourth quarter when the Lakers went on an 11-1 run to come to within three points, and it looked like they were about to stage a tremendous late comeback. But they couldn't make enough plays afterward, while the Rockets showed plenty of composure and calm, especially given that they were without Kevin Durant for a third straight contest due to an ankle sprain.

The Lakers fell, 99-93, and in many ways, they were their own worst enemy. While they outrebounded Houston by seven, they committed 15 turnovers and gave up 18 points off turnovers, while they shot just 42. 1% from the field and 25.

9% from 3-point range. Their scoring balance was uneven, and while they made 22 of their 27 free throw attempts, they missed critical foul shots when they were trying to mount a comeback. Houston, meanwhile, shot 35% from beyond the arc, but they riddled the Lakers in the first three quarters with lots timely outside shooting, and it took advantage of poor and late rotations by L.