After wasting two chances to close out their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets this week, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t waste another on Friday.

Behind 28 points from LeBron James and 21 from Rui Hachimura, the No. 4-seeded Lakers defeated the fifth-seeded Rockets 98-78 in Game 6 at Toyota Center in Houston. After posting a series win for the first time since 2023, the Lakers advanced to face the No. 1 West seed Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the Rockets again without Kevin Durant, the Lakers were never in trouble, and they never trailed after the first eight minutes. James made a running layup four minutes into the second quarter for a 19-point lead, 38-19, the Lakers’ largest of the first half. The Lakers went up by as many as 25 in the third quarter.

Hachimura, who averaged 11.5 points in the regular season, exceeded 20 points for the second time in this series. Austin Reaves, in his second game of the postseason, was 7 for 14 from the field and scored 15 points. The Rockets’ Amen Thompson scored 18 points and Alperen Şengün had 17.

Here are some key takeaways from Houston in Game 6:

LeBron in control

Not too high, not too low. LeBron James stayed in his spot on the end of the Lakers bench, staring blankly at the court. The crowd roared before the opening tip, Houston Rockets fans riding the momentum of the past two games. But with 23 years of experience, more games and more minutes than anyone, James knew that playoff momentum is fleeting — and something he could snatch back.

Behind a smothering defensive stretch, James delivered his most impactful stretch of the series, scoring 14 points in the second quarter. The Rockets, as a team, managed 13 in those same 12 minutes. Earlier in the series, coach JJ Redick said he knew it would be difficult to “kill” the Rockets.

On Friday, the Lakers made sure there would be no resurrecting their season for a seventh game. — Dan Woike, Lakers writer