FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

No matter what’s next, this group deserves real praise.

The Lakers did it again.

They beat the Rockets in another low-scoring slugfest, holding them under 100 once more and winning 101–94 to take a 2–0 series lead.

A lot happened in this ugly-but-beautiful playoff chess match. I’ll get into some of it in the notes below, and even more in my post before Game 3.

But before all that, one thing needs to be said. No matter what happens next, this team deserves real praise. Hit hard by injuries at the worst possible moment, they didn’t fold. They’ve done the opposite. And what they’re doing right now is impressive.

The question, of course, is how the Lakers, despite clear deficits in size, athleticism, and on the glass, losing the possession battle so convincingly, are still able to pull this off?

Thru 2 games, the Rockets have attempted 44 more field goals than the Lakers and have been outscored by 16 points.

That almost feels impossible.

This game built on Game 1, further revealing a couple of Lakers edges that are now crystallizing, but were previously overlooked because of their deficiencies.

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Today’s notes:

Prologue: KD returns and its aftereffects

Edge in Smart(s) (VIDEO)

Edge in guard play (VIDEO)

Edge in shooting

Superstar decision-making edge (VIDEO)

Edge on the sidelines

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Prologue: KD returns and its aftereffects

The main storyline going into this game was the status of Kevin Durant’s right knee and his availability. He returned to the starting lineup, and after making four of his first five shots and scoring 11 points in the first quarter, it looked like he would provide the much-needed scoring punch to the otherwise impotent Rockets offense. But after that, the Lakers tightened their blitz against Durant, something he and Ime Udoka once again couldn’t figure out, leaving the Rockets offense stuck in the mud.

However, while the Rockets’ offensive efficiency didn’t change much, their lineups and overall outlook did, just as predicted in my Game 2 adjustments breakdown.

With Durant playing 41 minutes, Udoka reverted to an all-out size and length model, reducing Reed Sheppard’s minutes to just 10 and a half, and Aaron Holiday’s and Jae’Sean Tate’s to under 10. This made life much more difficult for LeBron James and others, as Alperen Sengun was often the only weak link to target, and the bigger Rockets once again dominated with a 43% offensive rebound rate.

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1-Edge in Smart(s) (VIDEO)

The Lakers’ defense, with the whole team playing on a string, was beautiful to watch, with almost no breakdowns from start to finish. Ayton forced Sengun into another rough shooting start. Hayes made an impact with his length and mobility in scramble situations, while Vanderbilt applied constant pressure on Durant. LeBron, Kennard, and Hachimura were locked in on rotations all night.

At the forefront of it all, like all season, is Marcus Smart.

Smart set the tone early with three steals in the first three minutes, then scored 12 of the Lakers’ first 15 points, hitting three triples. He stepped up again late in the fourth, applying relentless pressure on Durant, grabbing three of his five steals, and hitting a crucial three with under three minutes left.

Smart’s defensive leadership has been key all season, but the 32-year-old has taken it to another level in the playoffs, looking like the Defensive Player of the Year version of himself. In a series full of marquee matchups, from LeBron vs. KD to Ayton vs. Sengun, Smart outplaying Amen Thompson as the top defensive player is a huge early edge for the Lakers.

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2-Edge in guard play (VIDEO)

One of the underrated aspects of this series, and one I admit I undervalued, is the importance of guard play and the depth of players who can handle the ball and either score or make decisions on the move.

Sam Vecenie
@Sam_Vecenie
I said this on the podcast last night, but tonight is a good example of “Dribbling is somehow now an underrated skill in the NBA.”

Like, being able to create and handle the ball is huge given how aggressive teams have gotten defensively to try to kill the shot clock.
9:45 PM · Apr 21, 2026 · 22.1K Views
Going into the series, I highlighted the Rockets’ deficiencies in playmaking, decision-making, and passing, but also expected Smart and Kennard to struggle much more against their pressure. In the first two games, despite occasional turnovers against the Rockets’ pressure, both Smart and Kennard have impressed—not just by making open shots, but even more with their ability to hit pull-ups off the dribble or put the ball on the floor, drive, and either score or make the right pass.

Smart and Kennard both went 8-for-13 from the field, scoring 25 and 23 points respectively, making the difference as secondary playmakers behind their superstar—an area where the Rockets are clearly lacking. With 50 total points, Kennard is the leading scorer through the first two games of the series.

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3-Edge in shooting

Looking at the statistical four factors breakdown, Game 2 was very similar to the first matchup, just a slightly less extreme version. The Lakers shot the ball much better than the Rockets, but without the outlier shooting from Game 1, this time it was more reflective of their actual shooting talent.

The possession battle also wasn’t as one-sided in the Rockets’ favor. Despite dominating the offensive glass again, the Lakers managed to grab several offensive rebounds themselves and forced turnovers at the same rate as Houston.

Smart’s 5-of-7 night from three was exactly the kind of break the Lakers needed, and their three-point efficiency has been key to their edge in the series.

When you’re an underdog in a series, you need to catch a break…and run away with it.

Lakers 23/47, 49% from 3 in 2 games
Rockets 18/62, 29%

Lakers a better shooting team, but made a lot of shots in first 2 games. Pair that with effort and great plan and you have an upset.

Blitzing Durant takes the ball out of the hands of the Rockets’ best shooter, and without him taking a significant share of the shots, their role players struggle to match the shooting of Kennard and Hachimura.

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4-Superstar decision-making edge (VIDEO)

LeBron had a rougher shot-making night than in Game 1, going just 4-of-14 on non-rim attempts, as Houston’s bigger lineups made it tougher to score in isolations and post-ups. But with a final 28/8/7 stat line, the 41-year-old was still the most impactful player on the floor, especially when it came to organizing and manipulating the Rockets’ coverages.

There is such a vast difference between the way LeBron/Smart organize every Lakers possession vs. whatever the Rockets do during halfcourt sets.
LeBron did enough damage attacking Sengun in pick-and-roll on several consecutive possessions in the third quarter to force Udoka into more aggressive coverages and out of his comfort zone.

On the other side, Durant never managed to solve the Lakers’ blitz, committing nine turnovers after seven against the same strategy earlier in March.

Udoka tried to blitz or send doubles at LeBron, but his strength, vision, and ability to operate in different actions and from different angles are what separates him from KD.

The difference right now about the two stars operating area..

Kd is at the top of the floor where it’s easier to get doubled, where five sets of eyes are watching you, and they’re forcing him to pass..

Lebron is in the mid post area, so if you double him from there, it’s a
The lack of guard play, combined with Sengun’s struggles to bend the defense in the paint, hasn’t helped Durant, and James is the clear winner of the superstar battle so far.

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5-Edge on the sidelines

Evaluating coaching is always a hard and thankless task. There are so many moving pieces, and if you’re not part of the inner circle, it’s difficult to tell whether breakdowns come from a poor plan or poor execution. But I think it’s pretty safe to say that the Lakers have been the more composed team, looking more comfortable executing their game plan on both ends in this series.

The Rockets and Durant struggled badly to solve the Lakers’ blitzing strategy, one everyone expected once KD was declared available. How much of that comes down to a poor Rockets response and how much to great Lakers execution is up for debate. There’s a fair argument for both, and the truth is probably somewhere in between.