LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 62 points and 21 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Lakers needed to hold off the fourth-seeded Rockets' second-half rally to win 117-109 Sunday night and even their Western Conference semifinals series 1-1. 

James narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. 

The Lakers led by as many as 21 points early in the second quarter, but needed to survive the Rockets' surge after intermission. 

The Lakers outscored the Rockets 27-17 in the fourth quarter, flipping a 92-90 deficit into an eight-point win. A James turnaround jumper to give the Lakers a 117-109 lead with 32.3 seconds to play all but sealed the win. 

For the Rockets, James Harden finished with 27 points and seven assists. Eric Gordon scored 24 points, including a 6-of-12 mark from 3-point range, and P.J. Tucker totaled 18 points and 11 rebounds. Russell Westbrook struggled, making just four of 15 shots and committing seven turnovers. 

In another game, Khris Middleton starred as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat 118-115 in overtime to stay alive in the play-offs. 

With reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo ruled out after aggravating his sprained right ankle in the first half, Middleton stepped up to score 36 points – including nine of the Bucks' 11 in overtime. 

Milwaukee, the Eastern Conference top seeds after posting the league's best regular-season record, trimmed the deficit in the best-of-seven East semi-final to 3-1. 

Milwaukee still have a mountain to climb as they try to become the first NBA team to rally from an 0-3 deficit to win a series. 

"We all fought," said Middleton, who led six Bucks players who scored in double-figures in the must-win game. 

"Especially with Giannis going down the way he did. He came out and tried to fight for us with a bad ankle. We wanted to have his back and just fight for him and fight for everybody." 

It was not clear if Antetokounmpo will be available when the Bucks again try to fend off elimination in Game Five on Tuesday. 

(With input from agencies)