With the playoffs approaching and the No. 2 seed already locked in, the Houston Rockets are giving rookie Reed Sheppard extended playing time, starting him for just the third time this season as they squared off against the playoff-chasing LA Lakers on Friday night. However, the Lakers took advantage of Houston being shorthanded, securing a 140-109 win.
Sheppard opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, setting the tone in what began as a tight matchup. The Rockets held a slim 26-24 lead before the Lakers closed the first quarter on a strong run to surge ahead 38-32.
Midway through the second quarter, Sheppard knocked down his second bucket — another 3 — that cut the Lakers’ lead to 54-44. He added a late layup in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough to slow LA’s momentum, as the Lakers caught fire and outscored Houston by 16 to take a 78-56 lead into halftime.
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Sheppard had his best sequence in the third quarter, hitting another 3, dishing an assist for a triple and coming up with a steal that led to a Cam Whitmore layup, trimming the gap to 85-68 and forcing a Lakers timeout.
Still, despite being outscored 31-29 in the third, the Lakers managed to hold firm and maintain control.
The Lakers’ bench continued the charge in the fourth, outscoring the Rockets 33-22 to seal the 31-point blowout and clinch the No. 3 seed.
Reed Sheppard’s complete stat line is listed below.
Looking at Reed Sheppard’s highest-scoring games
Playing time came sparingly for Reed Sheppard during his rookie season as the Houston Rockets leaned on a mix of established young talent and veteran presence — a formula that paid off for head coach Ime Udoka, helping the team secure the No. 2 seed.
Sheppard has put up averages of 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 51 appearances this year. He’s hit double figures in scoring six times — five of those performances coming after the calendar turned to 2025.
His breakout game came in March against the OKC Thunder during his first career start, where he dropped a career-high 25 points along with five assists, logging 31 minutes and going 10-for-17.
He also impressed in the Rockets’ last game versus the LA Clippers, finishing with 20 points, five boards and four assists on 7-for-14 shooting.
Earlier in the year, he notched a 16-point outing against the Brooklyn Nets in February, and more recently, he scored 15 against the Utah Jazz earlier this month.
His first time reaching double digits came back in November against the Chicago Bulls, where he put up 12 points.
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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro
