HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets are brimming with confidence after avoiding elimination twice with consecutive wins to force Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in the first round of the playoffs.
“We put ourselves in a bad position, but we can still make history and come back one game at a time,” Houston big man Alperen Sengun said. “Play at home, come back here, just do the same thing we’re doing.”
That game is one of three Game 6 matchups in the NBA on Friday night starting in the Eastern Conference with underdog Orlando Magic trying again to close out its series against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. The second game of the night features James Harden and the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers looking to wrap up their series against the fifth-seed Toronto Raptors.
In Friday’s nightcap the Rockets will try to get a win to become just the fifth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a series. None of the 159 teams that were in a 0-3 hole have won the series.
They’ll likely do it without superstar Kevin Durant, who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury after sitting out of the series opener with a bruised knee. He's listed as doubtful for Game 6.
“You cannot take off days anymore,” Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. said. “If you lose, you go home, and on this team, nobody wants to go home. Everybody is here to fight.”
The Lakers couldn’t finish off the Rockets on Wednesday night despite the return of Austin Reaves, the team’s second-leading scorer in the regular season who had been out since April 2 with an oblique injury.
He scored 22 points on 4-of-16 shooting in 34 minutes off the bench in the 99-93 loss.
LeBron James expects him to be more dynamic on Friday night after shaking the rust off in Game 5.
“A few of his jump shots were short. That makes sense. He hasn’t played in a month,” James said. “He gives us another ballhandler, another attacking threat at the point of attack, so it’s great for us.”
In Toronto, the Raptors are also feeling confident despite their 125-120 loss in Game 5 and some injury concerns.
“I like our odds 100%,” Toronto’s Scottie Barnes said. “We’re going to go home and we’re going to get it done.”
They could have to do that without All-Star Brandon Ingram, who left Wednesday night’s game in the second quarter with right heel inflammation and is listed as questionable for Game 6. Ingram scored just one point before his early exit. Barnes is also not 100% after being kneed in the quadriceps while driving to the rim during the second quarter.
“Obviously, we need (Ingram) out on the floor,” Barnes said. “His playmaking ability and his defense and everything he brings.”
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson knows another huge mental test is coming up for this group after rallying to win on Wednesday night.
“These are high pressure moments,” he said. “You’re down, you can feel the crowd getting nervous. So, I think we took a step (Wednesday). Now the big one is can you go and beat this team on the road? Can we go in there and go take this because we haven’t shown we can yet.”
The Pistons avoided elimination behind Cade Cunningham’s franchise playoff-record 45 points in a 116-109 win in Game 5.
Now the Magic will try and close it out again to win a playoff series for the first time since 2010. If they’re able to pull it off, they’ll be only the second No. 8 seed to win its first-round series after advancing through the play-in tournament and first since Miami in 2023.
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 7 p.m. EDT (Prime Video).
Series: Magic lead 3-2.
Betting line: Pistons by 3 ½
What to Know: Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, played like a franchise player should Wednesday night to allow the Pistons to extend the series. Now they’ll need another big performance from the 24-year-old to force Game 7 as they chase their first playoff series win since 2008. He has taken 23 shots in each of the last three games but was much more efficient in Game 5. Cunningham made 13 shots Wednesday after making just eight and seven respectively in the previous two games. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft, also scored 45 points in Game 5 but missed 7 of 12 free throws. The Magic will have to depend on his scoring again in Game 6 with Franz Wagner out for a second straight game with a strained right calf. Wagner averaged 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the first four games of the series as the Magic built a 3-1 series lead.
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 7:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
Series: Cavaliers lead 3-2.
Betting line: Cavaliers by 3 1/2
What to Know: The Cavaliers look to close out the series by doing something that hasn’t been done in the first five games, winning on the other team’s home floor. This is the only first-round series where home court has held serve. A major point of emphasis for Atkinson is reducing turnovers. Cleveland railed from a 12-point second-half deficit for the win despite the Raptors scoring 28 points off 15 Cavaliers turnovers. The Raptors look to avoid elimination despite having Ingram and Barnes injured.
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 9:30 p.m. EDT (Prime Video).
Series: Lakers lead 3-2.
Betting line: Rockets by 3 1/2.
What to Know: With Durant out, the Rockets have relied on a balanced scoring attack to win the last two games with each starter scoring at least 12 points in both games. They know they’ll have to continue that to keep the series alive and they also must continue their strong 3-point shooting. The Rockets have made 26 3-pointers combined in the last two games after managing just 18 in the previous two games. The Lakers need to play much cleaner to end the series after they had 38 turnovers combined in their two losses. “You give credit where credit is due,” James said. “They played well the last two games, exceptionally well, and we’ve got to answer the call.”
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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham and Joe Reedy contributed to this report.
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