Redick hails LeBron's greatness as injury-hit Lakers oust Rockets in 6

HOUSTON (AP) — When leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both injured in an April 2 game, coach JJ Redick admitted things felt bleak for the Los Angeles Lakers.

But instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the Lakers banded together to fight through the adversity and beat the Houston Rockets in six games to move on to face top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals.

Los Angeles has advanced to the second round for the first time since 2023 when it lost to Denver in the West final.

LeBron James had 28 points in Game 6 on Friday night and the Lakers used a tenacious defense to hold the Rockets to their fewest points of the season in the 98-78 victory.

“It speaks to his greatness,” Redick said. “To me, he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player. You can argue all you want and I really don’t care to postulate on who’s the greatest of all time, but he’s one of, if not the greatest of all time.”

“And for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it’s really -- it’s baffling in some ways,” Redick continued.

Los Angeles raced out to a 3-0 lead in the series before losing two games to force Game 6 in Houston against a Rockets team that was missing Kevin Durant for five of six games.

The Lakers played the entire series without Doncic, but Reaves returned for the last two games to help them advance.

There was a chance their series with the Thunder would have started Sunday. But Game 1 was pushed back until Tuesday night when the Raptors beat the Cavaliers 112-110 in overtime thanks to RJ Barrett’s 3-pointer in the final seconds to force Game 7.

“Thanks to Toronto,” James said. “Thank you, RJ Barrett. Appreciate it. Haven’t seen a shot in Toronto like that since Kawhi (Leonard).”

The 41-year-old James was thrilled to get a couple of extra days to rest and recover after averaging 38.5 minutes a game for his injury-plagued team in this series.

“Heck yeah,” he said. “I can go on the golf course now. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

He said he’d start delving into preparation for the Thunder by Sunday.

“It’s the defending champion,” he said. “So, it’s a tall task.”

And the Thunder will be plenty rested after finishing their sweep of Phoenix on Monday night.

Redick credited the leadership of not only James but fellow veteran Marcus Smart for helping steady his team after the injuries to Doncic and Reaves, who combined to average more than 56 points in the regular season.

“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and to win a playoff series is a big deal,” Redick said. “And it just speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team that they didn’t let go of the rope.”

Smart, who is in his first season with the Lakers, is so proud of the Lakers for fighting through the injuries to win this series. And he thinks that togetherness will help them as they continue their postseason run.

“It means everything,” he said. “It shows our resilience and it shows the belief that we have our next man up… and it just shows that no matter how depleted we are, we’re always going to go out there and compete and give it everything we got.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) defends against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series in Houston, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) reach for a loose ball during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series in Houston, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) blocks a shot by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series in Houston, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) celebrates during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) celebrates with forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — John Tortorella and the Vegas Golden Knights are off to the second round after pushing aside the pesky Utah Mammoth.

Vegas ground out three straight victories to finish off the Mammoth, winning 5-1 on Friday night in Game 6 after consecutive overtime wins. Vegas overcame third-period deficits in its first three victories.

After Tortorella took over as coach from the fired Bruce Cassidy, the Golden Knights closed the regular season 7-0-1. They went from a team struggling to stay in the playoff picture to winning a division title for the fifth time in nine seasons.

Depth, confidence, and experience helped Vegas make winning plays to close out tight games as the series progressed.

Mitch Marner and fellow forward Brett Howden specifically answered the bell with big plays. Howden had four goals in the series, and Marner had two goals and five assists.

“When you roll four lines, it doesn’t matter too much about where the faceoff is,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. “You can just kind of put whoever out on the ice. But it’s always a new team every year. You always find out who you are in the first round.”

Utah’s speed forced the Golden Knights to get creative, and offered good preparation for what Vegas can expect to face in a second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks.

“This is a team that came at you with a lot of speed and skill,” Marner said. “They made us work throughout that neutral zone to really try and slow them down and shut down some of their offense.”

In particular, the Golden Knights excelled at denying Utah on the power play. The Mammoth went just 1 of 16 on the man advantage int he series.

Howden had two short-handed goals, the second in OT in Game 5.

“Johnny Stevens, our coach who runs that, had a really good game plan for them,” Tortorella said. “Blocked some shots. Carter (Hart) made some key saves all through this series. (Utah) gained momentum off of it, but we stayed with it.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Vegas Golden Knights center Colton Sissons (10) scores the goal against Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during the third period of Game 6 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) and right wing Mitch Marner (93) celebrate a goal against the Utah Mammoth during the second period of Game 6 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Utah Mammoth congratulate the Vegas Golden Knights after the game win to advance of Game 6 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella speaks after the game win against the Utah Mammoth of Game 6 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) goes down after the puck against Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi (50) during the third period of Game 6 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)