Houston Rockets star James Harden failed to deliver an MVP-level effort in another pivotal playoff loss, as the Los Angeles Lakers joined the L.A. Clippers one win from meeting in the Western Conference finals.
Anthony Davis scored a game-high 29 points, and the Lakers bullied Houston’s vaunted small-ball offense, taking a 3-1 series lead with a wire-to-wire 110-100 win on Thursday. The Lakers will look to close out the Rockets in Saturday’s Game 5, one night after the Clips hope to do the same against the Denver Nuggets.
“They’re not going to go away,” Davis told the TNT’s Allie LaForce following the game.