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The Houston Rockets fell 112-108 in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, April 24, at Toyota Center, as the visitors moved to a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference first round. Reed Sheppard’s late-game turnover became one of the defining moments of the finish.
Sheppard addressed the sequence directly, saying, “Obviously it sucks. We had the game and gave them six points, two turnovers, a foul, and then they hit a good three.”
He added further context on the mistake, saying, “It was a stupid turnover. Alpi’s man came up. I should have hit Alpi right over half court and just made the simple play. I tried to split the two defenders and just got it poked away.”
When asked about his approach in the closing stretch, Sheppard clarified his intent, saying, “That was not going through my head. I was just trying to get over half court and waste as much time as I could by dribbling. I wasn’t worried about who was going to the free throw line or trusting anyone to go to the free throw line and make free throws.”
The discussion also turned to responsibility in high-pressure moments, where he rejected any excuse-making, stating, “No, I’ve played basketball long enough. Dribbling up the court with 30 seconds left is dribbling up the court with 30 seconds left. There’s never an excuse of he hasn’t been in a playoff game or he hasn’t been in that environment. It doesn’t matter.”
Sheppard emphasized the tactical impact of the error, saying, “It’s simple basketball. I should have made the right play, not turned it over. That was the one thing that could beat us was a turnover and a three in that situation.”
Defensively, he pointed to adjustments after halftime, stating, “Just being physical, communicating, playing hard. That was the biggest thing, effort and intensity. We did that really good in the second half.”
He also noted the overall defensive stretch late in the game, saying, “I think in the fourth they had 15 points until those last six at the end with 30 seconds. So we guarded well, put ourselves in a great position to win, and then did what we did.”
Inside the locker room, Sheppard described a film-focused approach, stating, “We watched some film over the last 30, 45 seconds. You got to watch it and you got to learn from it. It sucks having to watch and re-run it and go through it and talk about it.”
Looking ahead, he framed the team’s mentality after falling into a 3-0 series deficit, saying, “Now we got to go win four in a row. Get back and win the series.”
On Kevin Durant’s absence, Sheppard acknowledged the adjustment, stating, “It is different when he’s not on the floor. He’s a tremendous scorer and draws so much attention to himself when he’s out there.”
He added that the roster still has enough to compete, saying, “We still have all we need. We have enough talent. We have enough guys that can get it going. It definitely sucks not having him out there, but at the end of the day, it’s our job.”
The Rockets will now face elimination pressure in Game 4 as the series shifts toward a potential closeout opportunity for Los Angeles.
