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NBA Playoffs Live Updates, Scores: Lakers Look to Finish Off Rockets in Game 5

By Dan Lyons & Ryan Phillips Sports Illustrated

Updated April 29, 2026 9:30 PM

Two NBA franchises that entered the playoffs with high expectations face do-or-die Game 5s on Wednesday night.

First up were the Pistons. The East's No. 1 seed has been pushed to the brink by the eighth-seeded Magic, but got the job done on home court on Wednesday to force a Game 6 behind a stellar 45-point effort from Cade Cunningham.

In the second game of the night, the Cavaliers broke the series tie with the Raptors, defending home court with a 125–120 win to take a 3–2 series lead heading back to Toronto.

Closing out the night, we have LeBron James & Co. looking to complete the gentleman's sweep of the Rockets.

Check back here throughout the night for the latest scores, insights and big plays for all three of Wednesday's games.

NBA playoffs live updates, scores, highlights for Pistons vs. Magic Game 5

NBA playoff schedule, broadcast information for Wednesday, April 29

LeBron James has led the Lakers to the brink of a series win over the Rockets without his two costars, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Pistons vs. Magic (1–3), Game 5

Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
Game 2: Pistons 98, Magic 83
Game 3: Magic 113, Pistons 105
Game 4: Magic 94, Pistons 88
Game 5: Wednesday, April 29, 7 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

It all comes down to this for the East's top team. After a spectacular regular season, Detroit has come out flat and has struggled to get anything going offensively, even in its one win against Orlando. Should the Magic win, they'd become just the seventh No. 8 seed to win a series against the No. 1, the last being the Heat against the Bucks in 2023.

Cavaliers vs. Raptors (2–2), Game 5

Game 1: Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
Game 2: Cavaliers 115, Raptors 105
Game 3: Raptors 126, Cavaliers 104
Game 4: Raptors 93, Cavaliers 89
Game 5: Wednesday, April 29, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Cleveland's impressive offense dominated its first two home games, while Toronto found some scoring punch in Game 3 and saw its defense put the clamps down on the Cavs in Game 4 to even things up and take all of the momentum in the series. Rocket Arena was not kind to the Raptors in Games 1 and 2. We'll see if they can carry over what worked at home as the series heads back there.

Lakers vs. Rockets (3–1), Game 5

Game 1: Lakers 107, Rockets 98
Game 2: Lakers 101, Rockets 94
Game 3: Lakers 112, Rockets 108
Game 4: Rockets 115, Lakers 96
Game 5: Wednesday, April 29, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Houston wasn't blown out by Los Angeles in the first three games of the series, but could not get over the hump. They broke through in Game 4 to keep the series alive, but still have an uphill climb to reach the second round, and they'll once again be without Kevin Durant, while the Lakers are getting closer to Austin Reaves's return. He remains questionable for Wednesday night's game.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Playoffs Live Updates, Scores: Lakers Look to Finish Off Rockets in Game 5.

This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 3:43 PM.