In the history of the NBA playoffs, no team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.
That’s the daunting historical math facing the Houston Rockets, who lost Friday’s Game 3 to face that deficit in their first-round showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“This is very, very disappointing,” Jabari Smith Jr. said after Game 3, in which he finished with 24 points and 6 rebounds while making 6-of-10 shots from 3-point range (60.0%).
“So, definitely a terrible feeling. But from here on out, we’ve got to win. Every game is a Game 7. Got to dig deep, find it, and win four in a row.”
#Rockets fall the Lakers in OT 112-108 Jabari Smith Jr. 24 PTS I 6-10 3PT I 6 REB @HoustonRockets Game 4 Sunday at 8:30PM - Join us after the game for postgame coverage on SCHN & SCHN+ pic.twitter.com/V0XhHXAPuk
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) April 25, 2026
The uncertain status of All-Star forward Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain), who has missed two of the three games and is questionable for Sunday’s Game 4, also doesn’t help.
Then again, in theory, it’s not as if there isn’t a path. Houston is favored to win a home Game 4 and was a massive favorite entering the series. Durant could return, and injured Lakers star Luka Doncic appears much farther away.
Every game thus far has been decided by single digits, with the Lakers dramatically outperforming their shot quality and the Rockets underperforming.
And it’s not as if teams haven’t come close to overcoming a 3-0 deficit. In 2023, the Boston Celtics tied the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, 3-3, after previously losing the first three games.
Miami did win the decisive Game 7, but in hindsight, the series certainly wasn’t over after Game 3.
All that said, the prospect of having no margin for error and needing to win four straight games is incredibly daunting. But for the Rockets, the focus is simply on winning the game in front of them, starting with Sunday’s Game 4.
Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. Central from Toyota Center, with the game televised and streamed nationally via NBC and Peacock.
“We have another game Sunday,” said Alperen Sengun, who led Houston with 33 points and 16 rebounds in Friday’s Game 3.
“The series is not over. We still believe we can come back. Win Sunday, (then) in LA for Game 5, then come back here again. Nobody is giving up. That’s what we're going to do.”
More: ‘Horrendous mistakes’: Rockets choke Game 3 vs. Lakers in epic fashion
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘Not over’: Down 0-3 to Lakers, can Rockets make NBA playoff history?