The Los Angeles Lakers edged the Houston Rockets, 119-94, in Game 5 of their NBA playoffs best-of-seven semifinal series to advance to the Western Conference (WC) finals. Houston did not stop Lakers star LeBron James from scoring 29 points to dump the losing Rockets from 1st to 4th quarter and never looked back. Anthony Davis also contributed to the win with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Houston did nothing but look at the Lakers who did not seem to get tired and beat them in the very style of their "speed game." Many admired the Lakers' defense and Frank Vogel's coaching style who knew how to develop a strategy to beat the Rockets. According to Vogel, the Rockets are fast so they hit it with the same speed and he temporarily did not play their centers Dwight Howard and Ja Vale McGee so as not to be left behind in the race. By the middle of the 4th quarter, Vogel had rested star players LeBron and Davis because the Rockets had piled up more than 20 points or garbage time. James Harden and Russell Westbrook lost 30 points and 1o failed to form due to the Lakers' tight defense. The Lakers will just have to wait for the winner between the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers in the other Western Conference Semifinals Series. The Clippers just need one more win to set up the Battle of Los Angeles in the Western Conference Finals duel.
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