Sheppard's steal-and-slam and Eason's challenged free throws ignited a late-game surge, defying free throw woes and securing a crucial Game 5 victory.
After the Rockets finally found some comfort with a double digit lead in the third quarter, it was no surprise that LA wouldn’t go down without a fight.
With the home crowd on their side, the Lakers made it a clutch game with 3:35 remaining. Deandre Ayton got his 14th point and 15th rebound to make it 83-88.
Amen Thompson missed a fadeaway on the other end, propelling LeBron into a lefty drive to make it a three point game. That capped off an 11-1 run.
Back to a one possession game, the Rockets were in desperate need for a bucket. Reed Sheppard called his own number, draining a pull up jumper from the elbow.
In just a matter of seconds, he snuck in for a steal and slam with 2:20 remaining. That personal 4-0 burst forced a Lakers timeout as the scoreboard read 92-85.
After LeBron got a driving layup to go, I got a little nervous when the refs called a very late offensive foul on Tari Eason. It negated two points and gave LA the ball back.
But in the challenge of the year, Ime Udoka got his team an extra possession and two free throws. The call was overturned as Austin Reaves clearly tripped and wasn’t pushed.
Eason shot 2/2, starting Houston’s 7/8 performance in the last two minutes. They overcame their season-long free throw woes and drained the most high pressure ones, sealing a Game 5 win.