The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 98-78 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 6 on Friday night at Toyota Center. Houston’s season ended after struggling offensively against a disciplined Lakers defense.
Reed Sheppard pointed directly to execution issues when breaking down the loss. “We didn’t make shots. That’s tough,” he said. “They did a good job switching everything, being aggressive, being in the passing lanes, guarded well.”
He also emphasized how Houston’s offensive flow broke down under pressure. “We didn’t have enough assists, and that comes from not getting great shots for each other and not making shots. You got to give a lot of credit to them as well, even though it’s kind of difficult now.”
Looking ahead to his development, Sheppard described a broad focus heading into the offseason. “I feel like I improved everywhere, but that’s definitely not where I want to be,” he said. “Continue to get better at little things and obviously work on shooting, passing, dribbling, all that stuff. Defensively continue to work, and offensively reading the game, watching film and learning as much as I can.”
The rookie guard also reflected on the intensity shift between the regular season and playoffs. “Just the intensity that you have to play with every game,” he said. “We didn’t play with the intensity that we necessarily needed in the first couple games.”
Sheppard referenced Houston’s early-series mistakes and the emotional toll of elimination. “We gave away game three at the end, so that sucks as well,” he said. “It’s tough. You never want to lose, especially to end the season.”
On the final moments, he described a subdued bench and locker room. “Everyone was upset obviously, but everyone was just thanking everyone for the season,” he said. “We had a good season. It sucks it ended the way it did.”
Sheppard also discussed how opponents adjusted to him throughout the series. “Now you know how teams are going to play you,” he said. “Just being able to watch that during the offseason and work on those different type of schemes.”
He added perspective on Houston’s adversity, including roster challenges. “We didn’t quit,” he said. “We stayed together. We played together. It was a lot of fun being out there, just being able to trust each other and go out there and give it all we have.”
