No. 5 seed Houston defeated No. 4 seed Los Angeles, 99-93, on Wednesday in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs first round at crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Los Angeles leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2.
Advertisement
Former Vol Dalton Knecht did not play for the Lakers due to coach’s decision.
LeBron James led the Lakers in scoring with 25 points. He also totaled seven assists, three rebounds and two steals in 39 minutes.
Austin Reaves scored 22 points in 34 minutes for Los Angeles.
Knecht was selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft (No. 17) by the Lakers.
He transferred to Tennessee from Northern Colorado and played for the Vols during the 2023-24 season under head coach Rick Barnes.
During his one season at Tennessee, Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He led the Vols to a SEC regular-season championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for a second time in school history.
Advertisement
The Lakers and Rockets will next play Friday in Game 3 of the series. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. EDT at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The Lakers and Rockets will next play Friday in Game 6 of the series. Tipoff is slated for 9:30 p.m. EDT at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
PHOTOS: 2026 Tennessee basketball transfer portal class
March 19, 2026; Greenville, South Carolina; VCU Rams guard Terrence Hill Jr. (6) dribbles the ball against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) in the first half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
1 / 5
PHOTOS: 2026 Tennessee basketball transfer portal class
March 19, 2026; Greenville, South Carolina; VCU Rams guard Terrence Hill Jr. (6) dribbles the ball against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) in the first half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
2 / 5
Jalen Haralson ‘a superb fit’ with Tennessee basketball
Feb. 28, 2026; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Jalen Haralson (10) drives as NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) defends during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
3 / 5
PHOTOS: 2026 Tennessee basketball transfer portal class
Belmont’s Tyler Lundblade, right, shoots against Bradley in the second half of its MVC basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 at Carver Arena. Lundblade converted eight three-pointers and the Braves fell to the Bruins, 80-77.
4 / 5
PHOTOS: 2026 Tennessee basketball transfer portal class
March 15, 2025; Washington, D.C.; Loyola Chicago Ramblers center Miles Rubin (24) shoots the ball as VCU Rams forward Luke Bamgboye (9) defends in the first half in a semifinal of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at Capital One Arena.
5 / 5
PHOTOS: 2026 Tennessee basketball transfer portal class
Dai Dai Ames #7 of the California Golden Bears dribbles the ball against Elias Rapieque #0 of the Kansas State Wildcats in the first half at Bramlage Coliseum on November 13, 2025 in Manhattan, Kansas.
Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 1, 2026.
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
The S&P 500 rose to a fresh all-time intraday high on Friday, boosted by Apple shares, while oil prices fell as a new month of trading got underway.
The broad market index advanced 0.29% to end at 7,230.12. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.89%, reaching an all-time high and closing at 25,114.44. Both indexes posted closing records. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 152.87 points, or 0.31%, to settle at 49,499.27.
Shares of Apple climbed more than 3% after the consumer tech giant posted a fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue beat. Not only that, the company’s revenue outlook for the current quarter was better than expected, overshadowing the fact that iPhone revenue fell short of estimates for the second time in three quarters.
On the flip side, oil prices fell after Iran reportedly sent its response through Pakistani mediators to the latest U.S. amendments to a draft agreement to end the Middle East conflict.
President Donald Trump revealed later Friday he is displeased with a new peace offer from Iran, saying that the country “wants to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied with it.”
Oil prices were off their lows of the day following that development. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 2.98% to settle at $101.94 a barrel. International benchmark Brent crude futures slid 2.02% to $108.17 a barrel.
The moves come after a record-setting session, with the S&P 500 closing above the 7,200 threshold for the first time ever. That helped both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq — which also notched a new record closing high — secure their strongest monthly performances since 2020. The Dow, meanwhile, saw its strongest monthly performance since November 2024.
A strong first-quarter earnings season, as well as hopes for easing tensions in the Middle East, have ultimately boosted stocks higher on the year. Although the major averages took a dip on the commencement of the U.S. war with Iran, all three indexes are now trading well above where they began 2026.
David Krakauer of Mercer Advisors believes that positive trajectory can continue in the long term for equities. While Krakauer is hopeful that the Iran war will conclude in the near term, leading to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, he believes that the earnings growth potential in the U.S. as well as overseas will offer momentum to stocks, even if the conflict persists.
“There could be always new news or some sentiment declining, where we could see a little bit of a pullback here after a strong pop up, but we’re still just overall strategically bullish on equities,” the vice president of portfolio management said.
Noting that there will be winners and losers in technology as “not all” of the artificial intelligence capital expenditures spending is going to “pay off,” Krakauer added, “We think the enhanced productivity story remains intact.”