HOUSTON — In order to achieve something that had never been done before — clawing back from a 3-0 playoff deficit — Rockets head coach Ime Udoka had to attempt the impossible by calling on a few lineups that hadn’t played more than a few seconds prior to Game 4. 

Udoka had raved about the prospect of playing small for weeks leading up to the playoffs — and teased the idea every now and then — his passion about the strategy was Houston’s worst-kept secret. The potential for speed, switching, versatility and chaos as an in-game changeup outweighed the ability to predict the future. 

The Rockets’ desperation naturally played a part in Sunday night’s brawl; the sheer pride, ego and confidence displayed for months wouldn’t so easily go into the night without some resistance. But in a first-round series that has been decided by timely chess moves and adjustments, Udoka’s latest trick delayed a dance with disaster, reinvigorating a group not ready to call it quits on its season. 

“The switching was good for us,” Udoka said following Houston’s 115-96 win. “We like small [ball] and the fact that some guys are out — obviously Kevin [Durant] — we can activate Dorian [Finney-Smith] and certain guys, so there will be lineups that we haven’t seen as much of. Everyone that came in contributed, defensive intensity was on point, focus was good and that’s the result you get, holding them under 100.”

Houston’s small ball, with at least four defenders on the floor at all times who can switch any matchup, slowed the game down for a Lakers team that had found success hunting and exploiting matchups in this series. Game 4 was always going to be a mud-wrestling bout — this matchup was already operating at the league’s second-lowest pace — but the uglier the game got, the slower it became and the longer it wore on, fortune favoring the fierce. The Lakers scored just 84.7 points per 100 half-court plays, which ranks in the 16th percentile of all playoff games to date, were woeful from deep (5-of-22) and turned the ball over 25.6% percent of offensive possessions, the worst in the postseason. 

The thinking is simple: small ball breeds switching, and switching breeds stagnation. During the regular season, the Lakers scored just 0.97 points per chance against opponent switches, according to Synergy tracking data — a workable number and worthy gamble for a Rockets team desperate to leave the casino with something. Houston isn’t a heavy switching group by nature, a byproduct of playing Alperen Şengün and Reed Sheppard, which comes with hesitancy. 

Still, the Rockets had been able to find success when they did switch, allowing .946 points per chance, just outside the top 10. That math works against a player even as great as LeBron James, who is shooting around 36% from 3 on five attempts per game. Houston begins the possession below with Finney-Smith on James, who motions for Deandre Ayton to screen to get Jabari Smith Jr., a perceived mismatch. Notice how quickly Houston aligns itself to switch and extend, ensuring James’ potential driving lane is being monitored and he only has the option to launch a deep triple. 

Pertaining to James, the most important player atop the scouting report, small ball played a pivotal role in keeping him off balance, rushing his play and causing mistakes. LeBron struggled tremendously in Game 4, finishing the night with 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting along with a game-high 8 turnovers — his second straight game with that many cough-ups. Smith, who anchored Houston’s small lineups as a multi-faceted stretch center, instructed his teammates on assignments coming up the floor. In the blink of an eye, Smith was able to align his feet with James’ dribble, angle his body toward the ever-eager Tari Eason, who is there to simply blow up the action. Udoka praised Eason’s ability to go rouge defensively, citing his uncanny instincts and timing. 

“It’s tough,” Smith said. “It’s not easy. We try to help each other. We all hang our hat on the defensive end. Me, Tari and Amen [Thompson] try to set the tone to start the game. Try to anchor the defense, be in the right spot, be vocal and focus on the mental side of it, too. We gotta get better at the mental side of it, knowing who to close out on, who to rotate off of, and knowing where to be. And I think we did that tonight.”

Where the Lakers might continue to find difficulty, even as they return home for a closeout Game 5, is exactly how the Rockets set up when they indeed go small. (LIneups that didn’t feature a center in Game 4 were plus-16 in 19 possessions). The lack of a traditional center puts more emphasis on perimeter accountability, pushing Houston’s defensive shell further out. Think of the shell as the total surface area connecting each individual player’s feet on the ground. The closer they are together, the more compact the shell and vice-versa. 

Being further out and closer to the opposition allows for more aggression, particularly in the passing lanes, where the Rockets rank No. 1 among playoff teams with 91 deflections. Houston also tied a franchise-record in steals in Game 4 with 17, with Smith and Eason combining for 8. Smith’s presence, experience as a small ball center and physicality continue to be extremely useful tools for Udoka as the Rockets extend the series. 

“We’ve played them four times now, so you kind of know the tendencies of guys,” Smith said. “You know some sets they run. I’m just trying to use my voice as much as I can to help people be in spots, fly around and help. Try to stop what they’re doing.”

HOUSTON — Technically, the Lakers had not gotten across the finish line yet — 35 seconds and a five-point lead still flashed on the overtime clock hovering over Toyota Center  — but the teary-eyed look of defeat across every member in red as they trudged back on the floor told a painful, regretful tale. The white flag had already fallen out of their collective pocket. 

In the blink of an eye, the Rockets had gone from hopeful to horrendous. The valiant efforts taken to eradicate a 15-point deficit and turn it into a six-point lead were now wiped from memory. A series of critical errors in a span of roughly half a minute — a pair of careless turnovers by Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard, leading to a pair of subsequent steals by Marcus Smart and LeBron James — highlighted the spectrum of experience that has spanned across three games this series and what ultimately threatens Houston’s existence. 

The tunnel that connects both locker rooms depicted just as much; cheers and high-fives at one end, silence and shuffling of feet at the other. The Rockets, for large portions of Game 3, had no business being in that contest, yet failed to grasp the olive branch the Lakers dangled out on Friday evening; a reminder that life is all about second chances, just not in April. 

“Horrendous mistakes,” head coach Ime Udoka said following Houston’s 112-108 overtime loss that pushed his team into a 3-0 hole after it had a 99.8% chance of winning with a six-point lead in the final 35 seconds of regulation, according to InPredictable. “I don’t know if you want to say youth, scared of the moment or whatever the case, but you have a six-point lead with 30 seconds to go. Just have to hold the ball and get fouled. To combat it, make it worse and [commit] a terrible foul, another turnover and James makes a tough shot. And then the final play for the last shot, we don’t run what was drawn up. All of the above.”

The bitter truth for the Rockets, as they stare at a deficit no team in NBA history has ever come back from, is that this game and series is a microcosm of the issues that have plagued them since October. For the third straight game, the Rockets attempted more field goals (19 more, to be exact) than Los Angeles. They snagged twice as many offensive rebounds (18 to 9) as their opponent, scored more points off those second chances, turned the ball over less and scored more in transition and also in the restricted area. From a pure possessional standpoint, the crux of which today’s basketball — and especially the postseason — is based upon, there’s not much more the Rockets could have done structurally speaking. 

But the problems, oh the problems, are aplenty. Houston generated a meager 85.9 points per 100 half-court possessions, a rate worse than Utah, Sacramento, every modern tanking team known to mankind and the Sunday rec league faithfuls. The Rockets, a low-volume 3-point shooting team by nature, have been forced out in the middle of the dance floor of a middle-school homecoming, and, like an awkward teenager, have been embarrassed, shooting just 28.7% from long distance, third-worst among playoff teams. 

Without Kevin Durant, who missed Game 3 nursing an ankle sprain, one could have assumed the Lakers, who had already built a reputation on doubling and trapping the veteran scorer, would dial down their attempts. Not only did Los Angeles continue to mix in traps and doubles for both Reed Sheppard and Alperen Şengün — who missed 27 combined shots and turned the ball over eight times — but they consistently forced Houston to take low-percentage shots. During the regular season, Durant-less lineups had an effective field-goal percentage of just 53.1%, with a poor turnover and free-throw rate. That same monster reared its ugly head in Game 3, with the Rockets finishing with a 46.4 effective field-goal percentage, turning the ball over on nearly 17% of possessions and finishing with a negative free-throw rate — despite posting otherworldly offensive rebounding numbers. 

(With or without Durant in Game 4, the Rockets desperately need both Şengün and Sheppard to come with elimination-level desperation and efficiency. Şengün took three quarters to arrive at the party, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, but rushed his final few possessions. Sheppard, for all intents and purposes, struggled against the Lakers’ size and strength and looks overmatched physically in the series.)

“It wasn’t enough,” Şengün said. “I guess I could have done more on defensive positions, some missed shots. I still did a good job, but like I said, it wasn’t enough, so I’ve got to come better on Sunday.”

Game 4 on Sunday, Houston’s last chance of survival, will require a collective energy unseen in these parts this season. Despite the loss, there are certainly positive takeaways that should spill over. The Rockets did a phenomenal job in the second half defensively, leaning on their brute force, switching and taking away some of the Lakers’ go-to actions, holding them to just 38 points in the second half. Smith, who finished with 24 points and shot 6-of-10 from 3, displayed the combination of aggression, versatility and shot-making that this team has been crying out for since he was drafted in 2022. Amen Thompson, with 26 points and 11 rebounds, was a decisive downhill force and found success when the Lakers extended their defensive shell. 

But if LeBron and Smart continue to turn back the clock, if Rui Hachimura continues to score efficiently and if Bronny James, with five points in nine minutes, is going to outscore Houston’s entire bench again, Cancun is going to become quite populated in the very near future. 

“This is very, very disappointing,” Smith said. “So definitely a terrible feeling, but from here on out we got to win. Every game is a Game 7 and got to dig deep, find it and win four in a row.”

Things didn’t start great for the Houston Rockets on Friday.

Kevin Durant was ruled out of Game 3 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers because of a sprained ankle with L.A. leading the series 2-0.

It only got worse from there.

Houston blew a six-point lead in the final 30 seconds as LeBron James hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left that forced overtime in the Lakers’ eventual 112-108 victory that pushed their series lead to 3-0.

Everyone knows what a 3-0 lead means in a best-of-seven series, but here are the key takeaways from a Game 3 that feels like the Lakers stole it.

Reed Sheppard may not be the answer

Durant's late scratch from Ime Udoka's starting lineup forced his hand to start third-year guard Reed Sheppard, but the young sharpshooter struggled overall, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the floor and 4-of-13 from deep, and it was his turnover that led to James’ heroic 3.

The 21-year-old had a few bright moments attacking closeouts and a rare drive-and-finish with contact, but he fell victim to the Lakers’ pressure more often than not, finishing with five turnovers. Sheppard's ability to space the floor and operate as a primary and secondary ball-handler has been vital in Houston's offensively challenged season, but his shortcomings — namely, defensively — have been utterly exposed over the course of the series.

Sheppard is an aggressive defensive playmaker who certainly doesn't lack in effort, but his size and level of physicality aren't enough to keep up with a very lengthy, tough Lakers group. It's apparent Udoka is hesitant to play Sheppard alongside Alperen Şengün for coverage reasons, but if Sheppard’s jump shot isn't falling, which could potentially offset issues at the other end, his minutes become challenging to overcome or maximize. (It doesn't help matters that Şengün continues to shoot ineffectively — 27 shots for 33 points on Friday night — and is unable to take advantage of post-ups against smaller defenders and convert at the rim.) Whether Durant is able to go in Game 4 or not, Sheppard — and Şengün — must be sustainable offensive sources or the Rockets' season is over.

Rui Hachimura’s emerging role

Because of the national storylines that have dominated this series — one more matchup between LeBron James and Durant, the absences of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves — not much attention has been paid to Rui Hachimura, the calm, composed presence paying dividends for an in-control Lakers team.

Hachimura, averaging a modest 13.5 points this series, absolutely lit up the Rockets for 16 first-quarter points on 6-of-6 shooting, giving the Lakers an adequate cushion in an important road Game 3.

Head coach JJ Redick has used Hachimura in a plethora of ways; as a screen setter for ball-handers, as a floor spacer and also as a play finisher. His combination of size and high release point makes him a difficult cover for any of Houston’s defenders, and his quiet consistency has been a bright spot all season and a much-needed source of scoring while Dončić and Reaves remain sidelined. Hachimura finished with 22 points and hit four of his seven 3-point attempts.

Lakers’ defense continues to deliver

The Lakers, who have seemingly pinned the Rockets back offensively by a fluid defensive scheme, continue to impress. With Durant missing, the prevailing thought was whether that would taper Los Angeles' propensity for frequent traps and doubles, allowing Houston to play 5-on-5 basketball. That was anything but the case.

The Lakers mixed in varying waves of pressure, whether it was by sending random doubles at Sheppard and Şengün, trapping at odd angles or making the opposition work late into the shot clock, resulting in low-percentage shots. On drives, the Lakers made sure to have multiple players with hands and feet in the way, rotating at the rim and making life difficult for the Rockets in the paint.

In addition, Redick seems to have placed a great deal of importance on getting back in transition, limiting the league’s fourth-most-efficient regular-season transition unit to only 15 fast-break points in Game 3. The Lakers prevented a number of surefire makes in transition, the biggest reason why the Rockets rank among the bottom six in playoff transition efficiency.

Jabari Smith Jr. making an impact

Regardless of what ultimately happens to Houston in this series, the version of Jabari Smith Jr. the Rockets got in Game 3 — the confident, aggressive, three-level shot taker — is what this team needs moving forward on a nightly basis.

Smith was in a groove on Friday night, ending his night with 24 points on impressive 6-or-10 shooting from deep. His importance as a glue guy and connective tissue has spearheaded his time as a Rocket, but what has stopped him from taking the next step has been the ability to make smaller defenders pay.

A fluid, efficient Smith, paired with Durant, suddenly makes Houston's half-court attack that much more potent, reduces Los Angeles' defensive gambles and creates an additional consistent threat on the floor. Houston needs that now more than ever.