LeBron James admits what haunted Lakers in Game 5 loss

It has not been a good last two games for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

After coming back to beat the Houston Rockets in overtime in Game 3 to go up 3-0 in the series, the Lakers have struggled offensively each of the last two games, including in last night’s 99-93 home loss. The 93-point mark is the lowest for either team through five games, and it’s the fewest points the Lakers have had in any game — regular season or playoffs — since April 7.

Following the game, James, who limited his turnovers to just two on Wednesday after turning it over eight times in both Games 3 and 4, said the team still has to get better at limiting their “mistakes” come Game 6.

“We have some opportunities to make some shots we didn’t make,” James said. “Obviously, they were generating good shots. I mean, as much as we gotta defend, we also gotta score in the end, too. I don’t think we did that at a good rate, especially in the second and third.”

“It’s the next game. Gotta flush this one,” he said. “Obviously, we gotta learn from our mistakes. I think we have some – we made some mistakes tonight, too many unforced mistakes. So we’ve got to be better on Friday.”

LeBron James said the Lakers made “too many unforced mistakes” in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets.

Game 6 is Friday in Houston. Lakers up 3-2 in the series. pic.twitter.com/7iyKwMc3K7

— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) April 30, 2026

James had 25 points and 7 assists in Game 5, a large improvement over his 10-point outing on Sunday. However, his 3-point shooting has continued to plague him; after going 0-3 from beyond the arc in Game 5, James missed all six of his 3-point attempts last night.

Game 6 is set for Friday in Houston. If the Rockets win and force a Game 7, they would become just the fifth team in NBA history to tie a playoff series after falling behind 0-3. No team has ever won a series after digging that big of a hole.

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