The Los Angeles Lakers are among the favorites to win the NBA title this season. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they have the leaders and star-power any true title team needs to chase their goal.
But to finish out on their terms, they’ll need to beat this Rockets team — who have already made it clear they don’t intend to submit.
After their Game 1 victory, Houston made sure to set the tone for the series. In Game 2, however, the Lakers responded by turning it up, especially on the defensive end, which resulted in the 117-109 win.
Playoff LeBron makes an appearance… this series is TIED. pic.twitter.com/lqIsa5uBfg
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 7, 2020
https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1302805992934170626https://twitter.com/Alexdish22/status/1302806763675287553
Lakers fans after the Game 2 win: pic.twitter.com/soUkPshkWc
— ESPN (@espn) September 7, 2020
LAKERS WIN!! We tie it all up 1-1. MASSIVE 4th quarter! Hugeeee games from Morris, Rondo and Kuz 💪 Lebron/AD did their thing with 62 COMBINED PTS ! Always room for improvement especially letting the big lead slip. But we’ve got the W, now onto the next #LakeShow 💜💛🔥
— Lakers Global 🌎💜💛 (@LakersGlobal) September 7, 2020
LeBron set a strong early tone in the 4th quarter, and the Lakers stepped it up on defense, but the truth is, the Rockets just started missing open threes. Lakers should thank their lucky stars for Russell Westbrick.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) September 7, 2020
Something about them Lakers when they throw on them All Black Mamba Uniforms!!! Carry on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) September 7, 2020
The Rockets probably need the superstar version of Russell Westbrook to win this series. They certainly can't afford for him to be as bad as he was tonight. He had more turnovers (7) than buckets (4-15 FG) or assists (4).
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) September 7, 2020
AD and Bron tonight pic.twitter.com/ZQaO007psg
— Bilnation (@Bilaal10) September 7, 2020
The biggest culprit for the Houston loss may have been Russell Westbrook, who struggled all night to find his shot and avoid turning the ball over. To win the series, Houston will need him to play better going forward.
For the Lakers, LeBron James’ performance was a sign of good things to come. Dropping a near triple-double, with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists on 58% shooting, he is undeniably locked-in on the task at hand.
Will it be enough to get the Lakers through what will likely be a long and hard-fought series? That much remains to be seen, but it certainly looked that way tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y23IFqjT3nQ
