The Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 99-93 in Game 5, keeping the series at 3-2. The victory marks the 16th team to successfully recover from trailing 3-0 and force a game 7. The loss leaves Kevin Durant out of the game, marking his fourth consecutive absence from the series. The Rockets' contributions came from players such as Jabari Smith Jr, Tari Eason, and Alperen Sengun.