Anthony Davis gathered himself at the foul line with 4.3 seconds left in overtime on 25 April 2026, a packed Toyota Center in Houston dead silent after Alperen Şengün had tied the game with a runner 11 seconds earlier. Davis sank both free throws. The Los Angeles Lakers won 118–116, taking a 3–0 series lead over the Houston Rockets — and moving within one victory of the earliest first-round sweep in Lakers postseason history this decade.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs have produced several sharp first-round narratives: the Orlando Magic leading the Detroit Pistons 2–1 in a series framed as a rebuild coming-of-age test; the New York Knicks battling the defending champion Boston Celtics in a Game 3 decided by a Jalen Brunson three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining; the Utah Jazz, who entered the year as a projected lottery team, defeating the Denver Nuggets in consecutive games to force a series they were not supposed to contest. But the Lakers-Rockets matchup has drawn the widest attention. Los Angeles entered as a 3.5-game favourite, seeded fourth in the West. Houston, seeded fifth, is led by Şengün's 27.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game — figures that placed him in the conversation for first-team All-NBA this spring.
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