The Lakers sans Doncic and Reaves recorded their 3rd straight win vs. the Rockets sans Durant Saturday night in a 107–98 Game 1 victory where their undermanned offense sizzled and their underrated defense dominated.
Give GM Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick their flowers because this Lakers team continues to prove they’re grossly underrated and underappreciated. Every single player on this roster has bought in 100% on Redick’s vision. We’re seeing a Los Angeles Lakers team with championship culture that’s in championship condition, has developed championship habits, and wins on the court because of championship communication and chemistry.
All season long, Redick has had the Lakers winning despite their Big Three of Doncic, Reaves, and James missing more than 70 combined games and finishing with a 53–29 record and the #4 seed in the Western Conference.
Embracing their ‘Next Man Up’ mentality and ‘Playing harder’ cheat code, the Lakers peaked over the last 24 games, going 19–5 along with the 11th best team offense, 9th best team defense, and 8th best team net rating.
Offensively, the Lakers adapted to missing Doncic and Reaves and their 56 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists per game lost. Their answer as a team was to dish out 29 assists and shoot 61% from the field and 53% from three.
Defensively, the Lakers took full advantage of Durant’s absence and held the Rockets’ offense to just 19 and 18 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and their overall shooting to a dreadful 38% from the field and 33% from deep.
By stealing Game 1, the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers have completely turned the tables on the favored Houston Rockets, who now realize they may be in for a dog fight even if they get Kevin Durant back for Game 2.
Lakers’ Offense Dominates Rocket’s Defense
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While everyone expected the Lakers to struggle mightily without their two top scorers and playmakers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers surprised the basketball world with a juggernaut offensive performance.
Without Luka and Austin, LeBron simply took control of the game from the opening tip, powering the Lakers to an early lead by dishing out 8 assists in the first quarter and 10 in a first half close only because of LA turnovers.
Led by James’ playmaking, Ayton’s scoring at center, and Kennard’s lethal 3-point shooting, the Lakers built a winning 10-point lead in the 3rd quarter and would have had a better offensive rating than 113.8 if not for turnovers.
Kennard led the Lakers with 27 points, followed by James and Ayton with 19 points, Smart with 15 points, and Hachimura with 14 points. Other than Bronny’s 5 minutes, Redick went with a tight 8-man rotation for the game.
The Lakers entered Game 1 believing they needed to limit turnovers to win. Ironically, they ran their offense so efficiently, shooting 61% from the field and 53% from three, that their 20 turnovers ultimately did not matter.
Other than the 20 turnovers, which Redick will need to adddress for Game 2, the Lakers played a near-perfect game on offense despite missing their two best scorers and playmakers in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
The skeptics will want more before giving the Lakers their flowers but LA’s smooth overnight transition from a predictable Luka Doncic heliocentric juggernaut to a LeBron James equal opportunity powered juggernaut.
The championship culture Redick has built allowed the Lakers sans Doncic and Reaves to beat the Rockets sans Durant in Game 1 of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs. To win Game 2, the Lakers will need to reduce turnovers.
Lakers’ Defense Shuts Down Rocket’s Offense
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The Los Angeles Lakers’ elite defense quickly adjusted to Kevin Durant not playing and summarily shut down the Houston Rockets’ offense, holding them to just 98 points total and 38% from the field and 33% from three.
With Durant out, the Lakers had to quickly shift their defensive strategy from doubling superstar Kevin Durant to defending an equal opportunity lineup the Rockets were likely to play featuring center Alperen Sengun.
The Lakers’ physical interior and perimeter defense shut Houston down, limiting Sengun to 19 points on 19 shots, Sheppard to 17 points on 20 shots, Smith Jr. to 16 points on 14 shots, and Thompson 17 points on the 18 shots.
The Lakers posted an elite 104.3 defensive rating for Game 1 with 5 of the team’s 8 rotation players boasting individual defensive ratings under 105.0. LA’s all-out defensive effort last night was probably their best of the year. The Lakers’ defense was fierce and physical. James led the way with 2 steals and 1 block, Hachimura had 3 steals and 2 blocks, LaRavia had 1 steal and 1 block, Smart had 2 blocks, and Ayton and Hayes each had 1 block,
Like their offense approached Game 1 wrongly thinking they had to limit turnovers to win, the Lakers’ defense went into yesterday’s game thinking they must stop the Rockets’ league leading offensive rebounding to win.
Fortunately, the Lakers’ defense was so elite they were able to withstand the Rockets’ 21 offensive rebounds just like their offense was a juggernaut that they could win despite turning the ball over 20 times for 24 points.
The Lakers’ maligned and disrespected defense had their best performance of the year in their most important game of the year. The Game 1 win guarantees LA will play a Game 5, which is when Doncic might return.
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