LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a second straight loss to the Houston Rockets in their NBA playoff series, allowing Ime Udoka's men to cut their lead to 3-2 and force a Game 6.
The Lakers got off to a 3-0 start and appeared to be on their way to a sweep, but the Rockets blew out the Lakers in Game 4, 115-96, before surviving a tightly contested Game 5 on Wednesday night.
Jabari Smith Jr. led the way for Houston with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Tari Eason added 18 points and five rebounds, as Houston secured a 99-93 victory.
James had the most points in the game with 25, shooting 9-of-20 from the field. He also tallied three rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Despite leading by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, the Lakers allowed the Rockets to turn things around with a 30-19 second quarter.
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While it's certainly a frustrating development for the Lakers, it wasn't without any positives. For one, James made history during the game, as he achieved something that has never been done before in the postseason.
According to the NBA, James is the first player in history to reach 500 steals in the postseason. The 41-year-old superstar entered the game with 499 steals.
"Congrats to @kingjames of the @lakers for becoming the first player with 500 STEALS in the NBA Playoffs presented by @google!" the NBA wrote.
The player with the second-most steals in NBA playoffs history is Scottie Pippen with 395. No active player in the league is in the top 10 in the category.
James is averaging 1.6 steals per game in this year's playoffs, and with the Lakers trying to close out the series and extend their postseason run, he should have more opportunities to add to his tally.
