IZTOK FRANKO: LAKERS-ROCKETS OBSERVATIONS!

March 17, 2026 at 8:17 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Lakers beat the Rockets at their own game
Knicks, Timberwolves, Nuggets, and now the Rockets.

For most of the year, the Lakers couldn’t beat good teams. Now they are doing it one after another. The Lakers defeated the Rockets in the first of the two matchups, a 100–92 low-scoring contest.

This one for sure wasn’t pretty, but it was important.

The Lakers got their sixth straight win, have now won nine of their last ten games, and moved ahead of another direct Western Conference rival.

Both teams will now have a day off to reload before the rematch. And for the Lakers, the next one almost feels like playing with house money at this point after collecting all these important wins. After a somewhat humiliating collapse last night, the pressure will be on the Rockets, and we can expect them to come out angry and motivated. But the Lakers should get greedy and try to steal another one.

Today’s notes:

Ugly game of deficits

Luka the only Laker comfortable against Houston’s length (VIDEO)

Deandre Ayton shows up late and wins the battle of Capelas

Lakers defense frustrates another star (VIDEO)

Austin Reaves, we see you (VIDEO)

1-Ugly game of deficits

In my preview I mentioned this would be a battle of styles, a battle of different team-building philosophies built around different strengths. Instead, this playoff-like slugfest turned into a showcase of deficiencies. The Lakers’ lack of length and athleticism against the Rockets’ lack of skill and playmaking.

With both teams shooting terribly from three (the Lakers were 8 of 34 and the Rockets 5 of 26 from beyond the arc), it turned into a battle of which coach could press the right buttons to punish those deficiencies more.

The Rockets used their length and athleticism to get to every loose offensive board (or every other one to be exact, as they collected an almost absurd 48% of their misses). The Lakers, on the other end, challenged Kevin Durant and the Rockets’ lack of playmaking by forcing 22 turnovers. The Rockets’ 26.4% turnover rate was the highest for any Lakers opponent this season.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

Another thing I mentioned in my preview was how much better the Lakers’ half-court offense is compared to the Rockets. And even on a night when their shotmaking was not there, that still held true. The problem was that they were at a size and athleticism deficit at almost every position and matchup, and the Rockets just outjumped them, or simply beat them to rebound after rebound.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

If not for the Rockets’ turnovers, JJ Redick could have been punished for sticking with rotation that tried to counter Houston’s physicality with shooting and skill. On a night when Luke Kennard uncharacteristically missed both open threes, his 17 minutes really hurt the Lakers as Rockets wings crashed the glass from everywhere.

2-Luka the only Laker comfortable against Houston’s length (VIDEO)

One of my preview questions was how the Lakers would score against the Rockets’ super-long lineups full of great-to-good wing defenders.

Amen Thompson might be the most terrifying perimeter defender to go against, and Tari Eason is not far behind. The good news for the Lakers is that when Luka Dončić is on his game, that typically doesn’t matter that much. He’ll find a way to get a mismatch or create a half-step of separation via a screen, and then it’s more or less up to his shotmaking. The latter has been at a very high level lately, and it carried over into this game: Dončić made 8 of his first 12 shots, scored 23 by halftime, and finished with 36 points on 14-of-27 shooting.

The bad news was that nobody else seemed to find their comfort zone against the Rockets’ length. The rest of the team shot 17 of 45 from the floor on non-transition half-court shots.

Postgame, Redick talked about the challenge of scoring against the Rockets’ all-wing lineups without their only two weak links, Reed Sheppard and Clint Capela.

The Lakers got stuck in the mud to open the fourth, scoring only six points in the first nine minutes while going 0-for-9 from three. But then Dončić got a bucket over Thompson, and Smart, who had three of those nine misses, finally sank a huge triple with two minutes to go. Another one in a growing sample of his clutch daggers during this winning streak.

3-Deandre Ayton shows up late and wins the battle of Capelas

For the majority of the game, Deandre Ayton was more or less invisible again. Or, if I’m being a bit sarcastic, the original Capela looked much better than the facsimile the Lakers want Ayton to be.

Like in the prior game against the Nuggets, Redick benched Ayton for an extended stretch in the second half, only to sub him back in during the closing, critical part of the game.

Source: basketball-reference

And Ayton delivered when it mattered most by dominating the Rockets at their own game, collecting four of his six offensive rebounds and scoring six of his seven points in the final three and a half minutes of the game. In a game where neither team could find a way to score down the stretch, Ayton converting two putbacks was as important as Smart’s clutch three.

4-Lakers defense frustrates another star (VIDEO)

Another preview prediction came true, with Redick opting to get proactive by blitzing and doubling Kevin Durant for most of the game. To be fair, one does not have to be Nostradamus to see why making Durant a passer and decision-maker rather than a scorer is the right strategy, especially with the lack of playmaking around him. With Alperen Sengun missing the game with back problems, Sheppard was the only reliable playmaker and passer in Ime Udoka’s rotation.

And this game proved once again that KD is simply not the playmaker like Dončić or Nikola Jokić, who can dissect aggressive defenses with quick decisions and passing.

Some of Durant’s and the Rockets’ turnovers were just egregious decision-making, from eight-second to backcourt violations. But to the Lakers’ credit, it felt like they got better with their rotations and the timing of their double teams, making them less predictable and combining them with shifts and gap help rather than fully committing as the game wore on.

Durant’s terrible night, where he was held scoreless in the second half until a meaningless end-of-game layup while committing seven turnovers, was another in a line of superstars the Lakers’ defense has managed to throw off their game recently.

Lakers defense vs stars recently:

KD 7 turnovers
Jokić 4 turnovers, Murray 5 pts 1/14 FG
Ant 14 pts 2/15 FG
Brunson 7 turnovers
Jokić 9 turnovers

Wins vs HOU, DEN, MIN, NYK, DEN

HeroOfTheDay @Hero_OfThe_Day
“I don’t know man, maybe I just need to get out the way, go sit in the corner. Set some screens, space the floor…….”

Luka Doncic and the Lakers defense got Kevin Durant contemplating life as a role player
2:54 AM · Mar 17, 2026

5-Austin Reaves, we see you (VIDEO)

Austin Reaves has been on a roll scoring-wise recently, thriving in the newly established hierarchy as the undisputed second option. But last night he struggled against the Rockets’ length, being chased by Thompson for most of the night. Reaves shot 5 of 18, missed all eight of his threes, and had two attempts blocked.

However, Reaves didn’t let his shotmaking affect his effort and was the key force behind the Lakers’ second-half turnaround on the defensive end. The Lakers entered the game without the appropriate level of energy and force needed to answer the Rockets’ physicality, with the rare exception of Jake LaRavia (who had great hustle, but a rough offensive decision-making game with three turnovers in only 12 minutes of action).

The Lakers picked it up after the break, and it was Reaves who led by example, battling hard against Durant and collecting three of his four steals in the third quarter, when the Lakers started to set the terms with their defensive pressure.

Reaves was picked on a bit early in the game, with the longer Rockets going at him, but responded by playing aggressively, denying and fronting the much taller Durant, like he did against Jokić in the prior game.

Source: LakersMuse post on X

Reaves, Dončić, and James have picked up their effort and intensity on the defensive end in recent weeks, and the results are showing with the winning streak and a much more competent Lakers defense.

Comments

LakerTom says

March 17, 2026 at 8:17 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Lakers beat the Rockets at their own game
Knicks, Timberwolves, Nuggets, and now the Rockets.

For most of the year, the Lakers couldn’t beat good teams. Now they are doing it one after another. The Lakers defeated the Rockets in the first of the two matchups, a 100–92 low-scoring contest.

This one for sure wasn’t pretty, but it was important.

The Lakers got their sixth straight win, have now won nine of their last ten games, and moved ahead of another direct Western Conference rival.

Both teams will now have a day off to reload before the rematch. And for the Lakers, the next one almost feels like playing with house money at this point after collecting all these important wins. After a somewhat humiliating collapse last night, the pressure will be on the Rockets, and we can expect them to come out angry and motivated. But the Lakers should get greedy and try to steal another one.

Today’s notes:

Ugly game of deficits

Luka the only Laker comfortable against Houston’s length (VIDEO)

Deandre Ayton shows up late and wins the battle of Capelas

Lakers defense frustrates another star (VIDEO)

Austin Reaves, we see you (VIDEO)

1-Ugly game of deficits

In my preview I mentioned this would be a battle of styles, a battle of different team-building philosophies built around different strengths. Instead, this playoff-like slugfest turned into a showcase of deficiencies. The Lakers’ lack of length and athleticism against the Rockets’ lack of skill and playmaking.

With both teams shooting terribly from three (the Lakers were 8 of 34 and the Rockets 5 of 26 from beyond the arc), it turned into a battle of which coach could press the right buttons to punish those deficiencies more.

The Rockets used their length and athleticism to get to every loose offensive board (or every other one to be exact, as they collected an almost absurd 48% of their misses). The Lakers, on the other end, challenged Kevin Durant and the Rockets’ lack of playmaking by forcing 22 turnovers. The Rockets’ 26.4% turnover rate was the highest for any Lakers opponent this season.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

Another thing I mentioned in my preview was how much better the Lakers’ half-court offense is compared to the Rockets. And even on a night when their shotmaking was not there, that still held true. The problem was that they were at a size and athleticism deficit at almost every position and matchup, and the Rockets just outjumped them, or simply beat them to rebound after rebound.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

If not for the Rockets’ turnovers, JJ Redick could have been punished for sticking with rotation that tried to counter Houston’s physicality with shooting and skill. On a night when Luke Kennard uncharacteristically missed both open threes, his 17 minutes really hurt the Lakers as Rockets wings crashed the glass from everywhere.

2-Luka the only Laker comfortable against Houston’s length (VIDEO)

One of my preview questions was how the Lakers would score against the Rockets’ super-long lineups full of great-to-good wing defenders.

Amen Thompson might be the most terrifying perimeter defender to go against, and Tari Eason is not far behind. The good news for the Lakers is that when Luka Dončić is on his game, that typically doesn’t matter that much. He’ll find a way to get a mismatch or create a half-step of separation via a screen, and then it’s more or less up to his shotmaking. The latter has been at a very high level lately, and it carried over into this game: Dončić made 8 of his first 12 shots, scored 23 by halftime, and finished with 36 points on 14-of-27 shooting.

The bad news was that nobody else seemed to find their comfort zone against the Rockets’ length. The rest of the team shot 17 of 45 from the floor on non-transition half-court shots.

Postgame, Redick talked about the challenge of scoring against the Rockets’ all-wing lineups without their only two weak links, Reed Sheppard and Clint Capela.

The Lakers got stuck in the mud to open the fourth, scoring only six points in the first nine minutes while going 0-for-9 from three. But then Dončić got a bucket over Thompson, and Smart, who had three of those nine misses, finally sank a huge triple with two minutes to go. Another one in a growing sample of his clutch daggers during this winning streak.

3-Deandre Ayton shows up late and wins the battle of Capelas

For the majority of the game, Deandre Ayton was more or less invisible again. Or, if I’m being a bit sarcastic, the original Capela looked much better than the facsimile the Lakers want Ayton to be.

Like in the prior game against the Nuggets, Redick benched Ayton for an extended stretch in the second half, only to sub him back in during the closing, critical part of the game.

Source: basketball-reference

And Ayton delivered when it mattered most by dominating the Rockets at their own game, collecting four of his six offensive rebounds and scoring six of his seven points in the final three and a half minutes of the game. In a game where neither team could find a way to score down the stretch, Ayton converting two putbacks was as important as Smart’s clutch three.

4-Lakers defense frustrates another star (VIDEO)

Another preview prediction came true, with Redick opting to get proactive by blitzing and doubling Kevin Durant for most of the game. To be fair, one does not have to be Nostradamus to see why making Durant a passer and decision-maker rather than a scorer is the right strategy, especially with the lack of playmaking around him. With Alperen Sengun missing the game with back problems, Sheppard was the only reliable playmaker and passer in Ime Udoka’s rotation.

And this game proved once again that KD is simply not the playmaker like Dončić or Nikola Jokić, who can dissect aggressive defenses with quick decisions and passing.

Some of Durant’s and the Rockets’ turnovers were just egregious decision-making, from eight-second to backcourt violations. But to the Lakers’ credit, it felt like they got better with their rotations and the timing of their double teams, making them less predictable and combining them with shifts and gap help rather than fully committing as the game wore on.

Durant’s terrible night, where he was held scoreless in the second half until a meaningless end-of-game layup while committing seven turnovers, was another in a line of superstars the Lakers’ defense has managed to throw off their game recently.

Lakers defense vs stars recently:

KD 7 turnovers
Jokić 4 turnovers, Murray 5 pts 1/14 FG
Ant 14 pts 2/15 FG
Brunson 7 turnovers
Jokić 9 turnovers

Wins vs HOU, DEN, MIN, NYK, DEN

HeroOfTheDay @Hero_OfThe_Day
“I don’t know man, maybe I just need to get out the way, go sit in the corner. Set some screens, space the floor…….”

Luka Doncic and the Lakers defense got Kevin Durant contemplating life as a role player
2:54 AM · Mar 17, 2026

5-Austin Reaves, we see you (VIDEO)

Austin Reaves has been on a roll scoring-wise recently, thriving in the newly established hierarchy as the undisputed second option. But last night he struggled against the Rockets’ length, being chased by Thompson for most of the night. Reaves shot 5 of 18, missed all eight of his threes, and had two attempts blocked.

However, Reaves didn’t let his shotmaking affect his effort and was the key force behind the Lakers’ second-half turnaround on the defensive end. The Lakers entered the game without the appropriate level of energy and force needed to answer the Rockets’ physicality, with the rare exception of Jake LaRavia (who had great hustle, but a rough offensive decision-making game with three turnovers in only 12 minutes of action).

The Lakers picked it up after the break, and it was Reaves who led by example, battling hard against Durant and collecting three of his four steals in the third quarter, when the Lakers started to set the terms with their defensive pressure.

Reaves was picked on a bit early in the game, with the longer Rockets going at him, but responded by playing aggressively, denying and fronting the much taller Durant, like he did against Jokić in the prior game.

Source: LakersMuse post on X

Reaves, Dončić, and James have picked up their effort and intensity on the defensive end in recent weeks, and the results are showing with the winning streak and a much more competent Lakers defense.

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