 | | Lakers Battle for 2-0 Lead | | by Mike Trudell | | Gritty. Willful. Desirous. Ferocious.
Indomitable?
Take your pick. | | | All describe the now 2-0 Lakers after two slugfests with the Rockets in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs, with the series headed to Houston for Friday’s Game 3.
The Purple and Gold used a combination of mental toughness, intelligence and skill to win consecutive games, holding Houston – who averaged 114.8 points in the regular season - under 100 points in each victory.
Impressively, if not improbably, they did so without stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, whose absence to injury rendered long odds in the series … from an outside perspective, at least.
There was certainly enough belief inside coach JJ Redick’s locker room.
Redick and his staff did everything they could to maximize LA’s chances to overcome the odds, concocting a game plan that limited the Rockets offensively and creatively found ways to produce good shots on the other end.
In Game 1’s victory on Saturday, the Lakers led for nearly the entire evening, and by as many as 16, towards a 107-98 final. LeBron was brilliant all-around, scoring 19 points on 9 of 15 FG’s with a game-high 13 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and a block. Luke Kennard exploded for 27 points in his first playoff game as a Laker, with a perfect 5-for-5 mark from 3*, while Deandre Ayton added 19 points and 11 rebounds. *The first time since Robert Horry in 1997 a Laker hit at least five 3’s without a miss.
Then on Tuesday night, the Lakers battled typical human nature to ideal results.
“There’s a natural flow to Game 2 where the team that wins can relax a little bit, and the team that loses comes out with more desperation,” explained Redick. “I thought our guys at least matched their desperation.”
To Redick’s point, it’s very typical of a team that loses Game 1 to come out desperate in Game 2, with a “need” eclipsing that of their opponent. But the Lakers weren’t content with a 1-0 lead.
Before the game, Redick had noted how both Boston (to Philly) and San Antonio (to Portland) had lost home Game 2’s earlier that evening after winning Game 1’s. His Lakers refused to follow suit.
They jumped out to a seven-point lead after the first quarter, buoyed by 14 points from Smart (3 of 4 from 3), and pushed their margin to as many as 15 in the second half before holding off a late Rockets run.
“Just continue to trust our game plan,” summarized Smart, who was brilliant both to start and to close the game. “A lot of times when things get a little tough, you start to get away from it. But we (stuck with it).”
Smart talked about how the Lakers had to learn how to play without key players from the start of the season, when both he and LeBron were out, and that only changed in March, when the whole team was available, and LA went 15-2. Having experience playing without one or two of their best players consistently throughout the campaign did seem to steel the team’s mindset when the postseason began.
LeBron, who finished with 28 points, eight boards, seven assists and a steal in Game 2, and Smart, with 25 points, seven assists and five steals, typified that mindset. In the final three minutes, Smart hit a huge corner three, drew a foul and converted both free throws, and then notched his fifth steal. |  | “Just being locked in, being that defensive anchor, that vocal leader that this team needs and what I’ve been all year,” said Smart. “Just using my IQ and my instincts to see plays.”
“He just had a killer game tonight,” said Redick. “I know what kind of competitor he is.”
And, really, the entire roster competed in both games. Back in Saturday’s Game 1, the Lakers paid off their week of preparation from Redick and his staff by controlling the game flow throughout.
“We kept our composure,” said LeBron after the game. “Obviously we were going against a well-coached, super athletic (team). They cause a lot of havoc. I think our composure, even when they made a run, I think in that second (quarter) to cut the lead to two, we came out in that third quarter and were able to withstand it. And pretty much played the game we wanted to play. We had a great gameplan and we tried to execute that to as close to 48 (minutes) as possible.”
Several of LeBron’s eight assists in the first quarter alone went to Kennard.
“It was great,” said Kennard. “Overall I thought we executed very well. There's obviously our two main keys, offensive rebounds and turnovers, and (we) struggled a little bit with both of those. Overall pretty good.”
Indeed, the Lakers did get outrebounded, including 21-3 on the offensive glass, but that’s partly due to LA shooting a robust 60.6% from the field, leaving few offensive boards to be claimed, and Houston hit just 35 of their 93 shots (37.6%). Ayton grabbed all three of those offensive boards, and helped hold Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun to just 6 of 19 field goals on the other end.
“It meant a lot,” said Ayton of his Game 1 contribution. “I could feel the trust JJ had in me all practice this week, you know, and he does a lot, giving an NBA player confidence especially in this league. And I really tried my best to show him that, you know, I'm here and I'm ready throughout those practices just being super and extremely consistent. I couldn't wait to just beat up on somebody else in the first game.”
LA did commit 20 turnovers, to 13 for the Rockets, allowing Houston to claim a bigger edge in the possession battle. The Lakers knew they’d have to shrink that margin to win Game 2, especially with Kevin Durant’s return, as the future Hall of Famer missed Game 1 with a bruised knee.
To start Game 2, the Rockets, so difficult to keep off the backboards, had three offensive boards in the first four minutes of action, and got 11 points on 4 of 4 FG’s from Durant to take an early lead. But the Lakers had a furious response, using a 15-0 run that wrapped around the 1st quarter break to open a lead that would grow to as many as 15 in the second quarter. Smart was huge, hitting 6 of his first 8 shots, including four triples, towards 17 points at the half.
The Rockets had an answer of their own, taking advantage of three straight Lakers turnovers by converting on the other end, with a rapid 12-0 run getting them right back in the game, trimming the deficit to three at halftime. The Lakers had mitigated the offensive glass difference at 10-6, and had only two more turnovers than Houston. And they maintained that margin through the third, managing to outscore the Rockets 21-17 in a rock fight of a period, to take a 75-68 lead into the fourth.
LA managed to push the lead back to 10 for a moment early in the fourth, but Houston benefitted from a big 5-point swing when a Hachimura fast break layup rimmed out, and Josh Okogie hit a three on the other end to bring the margin to 85-82. But down the stretch, where the Lakers have been terrific all season, Smart and LeBron made play after play to secure the victory. They were aided by Rui Hachimura, who led the team in minutes in both games (averaging about 42), and Kennard, who scored 23 more points on an efficient 8 for 13 FG’s.
“Honestly I felt those games leading up to now, I developed a rhythm,” said Kennard. “Kind of playing in that role, it gave me confidence going into the playoffs of doing more and being controlled and poised and looking for my shot when I can.”
The Lakers managed to even out the turnover margin, both teams notching 15, while hanging in on the backboards, 42-37, and 17-9 offensive, both better than Game 1. |  | LeBron’s message after the win was that it’s not the first to one or two wins in a series that matters, but the first to four. He praised the coaching staff for the plan, and his teammates for the execution, but now turns his head towards Game 3.
Nobody in NBA history has as much playoff experience as LeBron, who’s played a record 294 and counting. But Smart, as LeBron acknowledged, is certainly playoff battle tested, having now played 110 postseason games, including several in the Finals. He, like LeBron, is ready for the road challenge to come.
“(We need to) continue to elevate each other,” he concluded. “We understand that we’re (shorthanded), but we have other players on this bench and other guys that can play and now this opportunity, so we’re looking forward to going to Houston, playing against a really good team with (Durant) back … we know what he and this team brings.
“Going on their home court is going to be a challenge … and we’re ready.” | | | |  | | |
