Published April 25, 2026
The Los Angeles Lakers, fueled by LeBron James’ 29 points, beat the Houston Rockets 112-108 in an overtime thriller to take a 3-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.
James, the 41-year-old superstar playing in his 19th postseason, had a steal and game-tying 3-pointer with 13.6 seconds left in regulation on Friday.
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He couldn’t get a potential game-winner down at the buzzer, but added a steal and a block in a frantic overtime as the Lakers pushed the Rockets to the brink of elimination in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
No NBA team has come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series.
“I’m just trying to take advantage of the opportunity,” James, who added 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals, told broadcaster Prime. “My guys trust me to try to make plays and I’m fortunate to be able to do that.”
The Lakers will have a chance to close out the series in Houston on Sunday. It’s not a position many expected them to be in, with the league’s leading scorer, Luka Doncic, sidelined with a hamstring strain and key offensive contributor Austin Reaves out with an oblique injury.
The young Rockets, with veteran star Kevin Durant sidelined with a sprained ankle, were led by Alperen Sengun’s 33 points and 16 rebounds.
They rallied from an early 15-point deficit to lead by six with less than 30 seconds left in regulation.
But their mistakes caught up with them. A Houston turnover was followed by a foul on Marcus Smart while attempting a 3-pointer.
Smart made all three free throws to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 101-98 and set the stage for James’ game-tying basket.
Sengun missed a potential go-ahead basket before James missed from beyond the arc and they went to overtime, Smart scoring eight of his 21 points in the extra session as the Lakers pulled away.
Celtics hold off 76ers
Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 25 points to lead the Celtics to a hard-fought 108-100 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
The Sixers had taken Game 2 in Boston to tie the series at one game apiece.
In a game in which neither team led by more than 10 points, the Celtics took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter.
A Tyrese Maxey 3-pointer briefly put the Sixers up 85-84 with 8:42 left, and Philadelphia was within one when Tatum hit a 3-pointer that pushed Boston’s lead to 100-96 with 1:57 left.
Payton Pritchard added another 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down before Tatum, who missed most of the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs, hit a 3-pointer that sealed the win for Boston.
“We were just resilient,” Tatum told broadcaster Prime. “We stood our ground. It’s a racing game: good team and fair, you have to respond.”
Maxey scored 31 points to lead the Sixers. Paul George added 18 and rookie VJ Edgecombe added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Sixers star Joel Embiid, still recovering from an emergency appendectomy earlier this month, was ruled out shortly before the game.
“He’s just not ready,” said Sixers coach Nick Nurse, whose team will try to even the series when they host Game 4 on Sunday.
Spurs beat Trail Blazers without Wembanyama
Stephon Castle scored 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame Victor Wembanyama’s absence to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-108 on Friday to take a 2-1 series lead.
Dylan Harper added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who trailed by 15 points in the third quarter. Game four of the first-round series will be Sunday at the Moda Center.
Before the game, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson announced that Wembanyama would not play as he continues to recover from a concussion he suffered in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Jrue Holiday scored 29 points for the Trail Blazers, who were making their first home playoff appearance since 2021, but ultimately couldn’t take advantage of Wembanyama’s absence.
Portland led 82-67 in the third quarter, but the Spurs rallied with a 21-5 run to take an 88-87 lead into the fourth quarter. Castle’s jumper and a pair of free throws gave the Spurs a 105-95 lead midway through the fourth quarter and the Trail Blazers collapsed.
Wembanyama, the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award, went down in the second quarter of the Spurs’ 106-103 loss in Game 2 in San Antonio.
Johnson did not elaborate on Wembanyama’s condition, only saying that he was progressing. He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season. His status for Sunday’s game is unknown.
Luke Kornet started against the Trail Blazers while Wembanyama watched from the bench, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Portland went on a 15-2 run in the first half to take a 50-43 lead and lead 65-59 at halftime after Jerami Grant’s 3-pointer.
In the final moments of the half, Fox was called for an offensive foul when he charged toward the basket and elbowed Deni Avdija in the face. Johnson challenged the call and it was overturned for a defensive foul on Avdija, who had broken a tooth but continued playing.