The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets following a 101-94 win at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. The Rockets even had Kevin Durant return from injury for Game 2 after missing Game 1, but it did not matter. They trailed for almost the entire game, but Durant stated in his postgame press conference that they dominated in every aspect, but one.
“We had some good plays, some good looks at the rim,” Durant said, via Will Guillory. “We just couldn’t knock down. We also finished a couple, too. So, yeah, we just got to get better at that. I think that’s the name of the game. I mean, we played this team before, and they know this is the way for them to stay in the game, is to play this type of defense.
“So we got to make them pay,” Durant continued. “And they going to feel even more confident going into Game 3 knowing that first two games they came out here with that type of defense, and regardless of what else they did on the floor, they feel confident in us not making shots. It’s that simple.
“And I think like I said, we dominated from every other aspect of the game,” Durant added. “But they dominated us in the shot-making department. So yeah, we got to be better. I got to keep the ball in my hands. Like I said, maybe shoot over some of those doubles and just go grab rebounds, but for the most part, we got to shoot with confidence.”
Shot-making is ultimately the most important thing, but it would be a stretch to say the Rockets dominated every other aspect of the game. Now, they had a notable 17-9 advantage in offensive rebounds, but couldn’t capitalize on that. The Rockets had 21 second-chance points while the Lakers had 17. The gap should have been far bigger.
Apart from that, the Rockets had 54 points in the paint compared to 34 for the Lakers, but that’s about it when it comes to domination. They weren’t as good as Durant was making them out to be. As for the man himself, the Lakers looked to trap him and frequently sent double teams at him in the second half.
There were no real patterns for when and where that second defender would come, and Durant, who had missed Game 1 with a patellar tendon bruise, struggled to find ways to deal with that game plan. The 37-year-old had a bright start to the game but then disappeared down the stretch.
Durant had 20 points on 6-7 shooting from the field at halftime, and it looked like he was set to deliver a masterpiece. It ended up being a night to forget. Durant had just three points on 1-5 shooting from the field in the second half. He also committed five of his nine turnovers in the period.
Durant would finish with 23 points (7-12 FG), six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in Game 2. The fact that he only attempted 12 shots also stands out here.
Alperen Sengun (20), Jabari Smith Jr. (18), and Tari Eason (14) all attempted more field goals than Durant. That is not a recipe for success, and the 16-time All-Star has to be more aggressive moving forward. Lakers head coach JJ Redick and superstar LeBron James both fully understand Durant is capable of taking over, though, and they aren’t getting overconfident at all. They’ll be ready for him.
This series now shifts to Houston, and the Rockets are already in must-win territory. If you’d told someone before this series started that this would be the situation after two games, they’d have laughed in your face. The Lakers had been completely written off with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves being out, but are now in the driver’s seat.
The Rockets have some time to regroup, as Game 3 will tip off at Toyota Center on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
