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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Jabari Smith Jr. #10 of the Houston Rockets and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers on court during the second half of Game Two of the NBA Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Something smells off about these Los Angeles Lakers. Just when they were supposedly destined for a round two clash with the defending champs.

That’s not back-to-back losses for the Lakers, pulling them just one win from advancing and one loss from a Game 7. The Houston Rockets were down, bruised, battered … but had fight somewhere inside them all along. It’s showing now.

L.A. suffered a brutal home loss in Game 5. The turnovers and missed shots piled up. JJ Redick was fueled by rage-inspired outbursts. And the Rockets perhaps feel they have the Lakers dead to rights. 

Pressure is mounting on L.A. shoulders as Game 6 in Houston approaches. The Lakers have already joined some not-so-good history by allowing the Rockets to become just the 16th team ever to force a sixth game after falling down 0-3.

Let it not be. Not like this. Not in this hurried fashion. 

They can’t lose a 3-0 lead now, can they?

Los Angeles Lakers Fumbling More Than Just Their Lead

The return of Austin Reaves was supposed to be a failsafe. The star guard would be a safety blanket in case things unexpectedly got dicey. But the Lakers couldn’t even use Reaves to keep the opponent at arms distance … because they kept themselves at arms distance the entire night. 

GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 29: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers checks into the game during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Reaves logged over 34 minutes but looked every bit of a player coming off a monthlong injury. He attacked, got downhill and tried his tail off to score, but he just didn’t have that oomph back yet.

Then again, if the Lakers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead without Reaves, and even Luka Doncic, why would they need him for a home closeout game? 

L.A.’s consecutive losses have been characterized by ball security. In other words, Houston has snatched the basketball away far too many times, producing 63 steals through the five games of this series. 

The last team to pile up that many steals through five playoff games? 

The Warriors. No, no. Not the Warriors of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.

The Warriors of 2007 … the “We Believe” team. 

Lakers Draw Parallels in Worst Possible Comparison

For the younger fans or the unfamiliar, the We Believe Warriors pulled off a stunning upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks — led by NBA MVP Dirk Nowitzski — in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. 

Golden State won in a commanding six games. It didn’t even need a seventh game to boot the MVP-led Mavericks out of the postseason. 

For the Lakers, that’s not the company anyone wants to be in. It goes to drive home the fact that committing turnovers are venomous in playoff games. 

Against great teams — ehem, the Thunder — it is instant death. 

The Lakers have to limit turning the ball over if they want to avoid the worst playoff collapse in NBA history. L.A. is already teetering. If it loses Game 6, the uncomfortable lead up to Game 7 might be so suffocating that it obstructs the Lakers from even mentally showing up in a do-or-die game.

Still, the Lakers have no reason to be truly worried about ending Houston’s season Friday night. They have Reaves and LeBron James, while the Rockets are likely without Durant for Game 6 and maybe even Game 7. 

It’s time to see what these Lakers are made of. Another closeout opportunity is on tap.