LeBron James Leads Los Angeles Lakers to 3-0 Series Lead Over Houston Rockets

LeBron James powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-108 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Friday, moving the Lakers to a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first round of the NBA play-offs.

“17:00 19:30 22:00 00:30 Sun17:00 Sun 17:00 Sun19:30 Sun 19:30 Sun23:00 Sun 23:00 Mon01:30 Mon 01:30 LeBron James recorded his fourth playoff game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since turning 40 in the Lakers' Game 3 win, the most in NBA history, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3)”

BasketNews

The BBC described how James made a three-pointer to force overtime, levelling the score with 13 seconds left against Houston and “hit the rim with a three-pointer on the buzzer.”

BasketNews

With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured, James, 41, stepped up again, finishing with a team-high 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Marcus Smart added a double-double with 21 points, 10 assists, and eight of his 21 points coming in overtime.

The New York Times similarly said the Lakers took Game 3 over Houston in overtime and emphasized that James knocked down a tying 3-pointer with 13.6 seconds left in regulation, sending the game to extra time.

CBS Sports framed the same result as a “112-108 overtime victory” and positioned it as the latest example of James delivering “every last ounce” after promising the Lakers “everything.”

Across the accounts, the game’s turning point was the late regulation shot that tied the score, followed by overtime where Los Angeles completed the win and put Houston “one win away from a sweep” in the series.

The Lakers’ path to Game 3 hinged on injuries that left James carrying more of the load, and multiple outlets tied the outcome directly to who could not play.

The BBC said James stepped up “in the absence of the injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves,” and it also noted that an ankle sprain ruled out Houston’s leading scorer Kevin Durant for the second time in the series.

BBC

The New York Times added that Friday marked Houston’s second playoff game without Kevin Durant (ankle), and it described the Rockets as missing their “usual closer” because Durant was sidelined by a sprained left ankle.

Sports Illustrated likewise said the Rockets were without Kevin Durant for the second time this series, while the Lakers still needed “every bit of James's magic” to come out with the win.

Heavy’s account leaned into the must-win framing for Houston and said the Lakers were getting “a desperate team that was in a must-win scenario,” but it still emphasized that the Lakers were “one win away from advancing without taking on a single loss.”

Even where the writing differed, the same core facts appeared: Doncic and Reaves were out for Los Angeles, Durant was out for Houston, and James’ production became the central through-line to the overtime win.

The game’s narrative in the sources repeatedly returned to clutch execution in the final seconds of regulation and the way overtime unfolded after Houston’s late-game pressure.

“LeBron James promised the Lakers everything, then gave them every last ounce At 41, LeBron James added another legendary playoff performance to his highlight reel The Los Angeles Lakers appeared dead in the water on April 5”

CBS Sports

The New York Times described a sequence that began with Jae’Sean Tate fouling Marcus Smart on a 3-pointer with 25.4 seconds left, then said Reed Sheppard “threw away the ensuing inbound pass,” leading directly to James’ tying 3.

BBC’s account focused on the tying shot itself, saying James “almost clinched victory as he hit the rim with a three-pointer on the buzzer,” before the Lakers won in overtime.

Sports Illustrated added detail about the timing, calling the clutch three “with 13.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter,” and it described how James poked the ball away from Rockets guard Reed Sheppard and slapped it over to Luke Kennard as the Lakers scrambled in transition.

Yardbarker similarly said James “hit a corner three to tie the game with just a tick over 13 seconds left in regulation,” and it credited the Lakers’ overtime win as “The Lakers outscored Houston 11-7 in overtime, winning the game 112-108.”

Taken together, the sources portray Game 3 as a chain of late-game turnovers and defensive plays culminating in James’ tying three and a decisive overtime finish.

Beyond the result, the sources highlighted how James’ performance stacked up against historical benchmarks and how teammates contributed in ways that mattered for the overtime win.

The BBC reported that James, 41, again stepped up and claimed a team-high 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Marcus Smart recorded a double-double and said, “With two of our best players down, we've got to play desperate,” adding, “We've got to be the most desperate team.”

Heavy

Heavy framed the same game as another historic milestone, stating that James recorded “his fourth playoff game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since turning 40, the most in NBA history,” and it said the Lakers were “one win away from advancing without taking on a single loss.”

BasketNews also emphasized the record, saying James recorded “his fourth playoff game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since turning 40, the most in NBA history, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3).”

CBS Sports included a direct quote from James about his mindset, writing that when asked what the Lakers would need out of him, he responded, “Nothing changes for me,” and then “Just back to the old ways.”

Sports Illustrated added a postgame quote from LeBron about the alley-oop moment, quoting him on the Amazon Prime broadcast: “He was calling for it, I saw his steps for so long, he was gathering,” and it also included “And I was like, 'just go get it.'”

With the Lakers up 3-0 after Game 3, the sources converge on the immediate stakes for Game 4 and the pressure on Houston to avoid a sweep.

“Age is nothing but a number”

Sports Illustrated

The BBC said the Rockets “also host game four on Sunday and must win to prevent the Lakers earning a sweep of the series and booking their place in the Western Conference semi-finals.”

Sports Illustrated

Heavy reported that “Game 4 is set to take place on April 26, with a 9:30 PM ET tip,” while Yardbarker said “Game 4 of the series will take place at Houston's Toyota Center and is set to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET.”

The New York Times described the series as heading toward a potential closeout in Houston, stating that the Lakers were one win away from a sweep after taking a 3-0 series lead.

It also underscored that Houston’s late-game collapse could define their season, noting that Houston led by 6 with fewer than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter and “somehow allowed the Lakers to tie the score in regulation and eventually steal the win in overtime.”

Taken together, the sources depict Game 4 as a do-or-die home game for Houston, with the Lakers positioned to advance to the Western Conference semi-finals if they can secure the next win.