LeBron James delivered a near triple-double to propel the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Western Conference Finals following a five-game conquest of the Houston Rockets.

James put up 29 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals as the Lakers crushed the Rockets, 119-96, in the series-clinching Game 5 on Saturday, September 12 (Sunday, September 13, Manila time).

The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010, the last time the franchise won the championship with late NBA great Kobe Bryant leading the way.

“It’s the reason I wanted to be a part of this franchise is to take them back to a place they were accustomed to being. And that’s competing for a championship,” said James. 

“It’s an honor for me to wear the purple and gold and for us to just try to continue the legacy and just play great basketball for our fans.”

The Lakers will face either the Los Angeles Clippers or the Denver Nuggets next. The Clippers lead that series 3-2.

Anthony Davis churned out 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists while 4 more players scored in double figures as the Lakers ripped the Rockets apart from start to finish.

“Everything is falling into place. When I got here the goal was to win a championship and now we are 8 wins away,” said Davis.

The Lakers wrapped the maiden period up, 35-20, behind 11 first-quarter points from James before they padded their lead to 26 points, 95-69, going into the final frame.

Kyle Kuzma had 17 points off the bench for the Lakers, Markieff Morris chipped in 16 points, Danny Green added 14 points, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed 10 points in the win.

James Harden was the lone bright spot for the Rockets with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals as he lacked helped offensively, with only two of his teammates scoring in twin digits.

Russell Westbrook struggled in 36 minutes on the floor, chalking up 10 points on a 4-of-13 shooting on top of 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals against 3 turnovers in the loss.

The Rockets suffered the same fate as the Portland Trail Blazers, who toppled the Lakers in Game 1 of their first-round series but wound up fizzling in the next 4 matches.

‘A piece away’

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, whose contract expires at the end of the season, couldn’t say whether he will be back.

“We’ll see what happens. I had 4 years. Hopefully it keeps going, but you just never know,” he said.

Harden had a disappointing series, delivering another series of fourth-quarter playoff disappearing acts that have pockmarked his career. 

“Tough season for us. Obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. So, we just got to figure it out,” he said.

In the past 5 years, Harden has shot less than 25% from beyond the arc in post-season 4th quarters and overtime. He finished 2-of-8 from three-point range on Saturday.

Harden said Saturday all they need to become great is to add one more piece to the puzzle.

“It’s very, very frustrating. Especially the amount of work individually I put in,” he said. “But I’ve got to keep chipping away. I’ve got to keep going and keep going until I can’t go anymore. 

“I feel like we’re a piece away and we’ve just got keep trying to figure it out. Keep trying to put the pieces around me and Russ to get us where we want to go,” said Harden.

Tempers flared in the 4th quarter both on and off the floor. The brother of Lakers Rajon Rondo now has the dubious honor of being the first fan thrown out of a bubble game after he exchanged words with Houston’s Westbrook. 

The public is not allowed in the arena because of the coronavirus pandemic but players are allowed to invite a limited number of family and friends to watch the games in person. 

The Rockets were missing Danuel House who was booted from the NBA quarantine bubble after a league investigation revealed he violated “campus health and safety” protocols. – with a report from Agence France-Presse