Though the Rockets were obviously the biggest beneficiaries of Reed Sheppard's efforts on Wednesday night, the OKC Thunder are inadvertently major winners of his heroics themselves.
Playing without Kevin Durant (ankle) and finding Alperen Sengun swarmed by a stingy Lakers defense all night, Houston witnessed the sophomore guard shine bright in their high-stakes, win-or-go-home Game 5 bout at Crypto.com Arena.
In 35 minutes of action, Sheppard posted 12 points and six assists.
He also proved to be incredibly efficient on the less glamorous side of the ball (three steals) and was integral in the Rockets holding off a surging LeBron James and company down the stretch, registering a quick four points and a steal within a 17-second span in the final 2:37 of regulation to halt their momentum-shifting 10-1 stretch for good.
Behind Sheppard's strong play, Houston pulled out a crucial 99-93 win over Los Angeles, which not only helps keep their postseason dreams alive but also gives the Thunder more time to allow star Jalen Williams to rest and recover from his latest injury before round two.
Thunder star Jalen Williams given the gift of time with Rockets win
Williams was hampered throughout the regular season by myriad injuries, notably two right hamstring strain flare-ups that kept him out of 30 of his 49 total missed games.
In Game 2 against the Suns in the West quarterfinals, he sustained yet another hamstring injury, this time on his left leg.
He's now been out of commission for just over a week.
As has historically been the case with these kinds of ailments, extended rest and rehabilitation are key to a full recovery.
Fortunately, Sheppard and the Rockets have allotted Williams even more time to do just that with Wednesday's win, for the extension of this series with the Lakers only pushes back the start date for Oklahoma City's round-two tip-off.
On top of this, it also increases the odds of either one of these teams coming into a semifinal matchup against the Thunder with the inherent fatigue that comes with playing a long series, which should only stand to further benefit the well-rested defending champs and, in turn, avoid them having to rush J-Dub back to the floor.
At one point, it was a legitimate fear that the Lakers would coast through the first round and have a date against OKC be set up as soon as possible.
With Houston's resurgent win, Los Angeles now finds this series lasting much longer than expected and is heading out to Space City for a Game 6 on Friday.
Needless to say, Jalen Williams and the OKC Thunder are elated over this recent turn of events.
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