The Los Angeles Lakers failed to secure a repeat defeat in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in a 99-93 loss. Austin Reaves returned from a left oblique strain for the first time since April 2 after almost a month's absence from the game. Despite an 11-1 run from the Lakers to close the gap, they failed to close it in the final minutes of Game 5. The Lakers' dominance was attributed to turnovers and a lack of offensive production. LeBron James scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half and seven assists for the Lakers, but they couldn't maintain their hopes of winning the series. Game 6 is set to take place in Houston on Friday night, with a Game 7, if necessary, back in L.A. No team has ever recovered from an 0-3 deficit to win an NBA playoff series.