LeBron James delivered a vintage performance with 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 98-78 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday, clinching the first-round playoff series 4-2 and advancing to a Western Conference semifinal showdown against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers, who had built a 3-0 series lead, sealed the deal on the road in convincing fashion. Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 18 points in the losing effort.
"A lot of our guys haven't been in a close-out situation, especially on the road," said the 41-year-old James. "So it was important for me to set the tone. The mission has always been the same: go out and dominate. I have the most playoff experience on the team, and I just try to instill that confidence in the younger guys."
Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised James, who is the first player to play 23 consecutive NBA seasons and the league's all-time leading scorer.
"To me, he's had the greatest career of any NBA player," Redick said. "You can argue, but for him to answer the bell again is baffling."
The Lakers now face a formidable opponent in the Thunder, who finished atop the Western Conference and swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
In other playoff action, the Detroit Pistons rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat the Orlando Magic 93-79, tying their series at 3-3 and forcing a Game 7. The Pistons, who trailed 62-38 early in the third quarter, capitalized on the Magic missing 23 consecutive field goals. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 32 points.
"Never say die," Cunningham said. "Detroit grit—that's what we've been talking about all year."
Game 7 will be played Sunday in Detroit, with the winner facing either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors, who also forced a decisive seventh game after RJ Barrett's dramatic three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in overtime gave Toronto a 112-110 victory over Cleveland. The home team has won every game in that series.