The Lakers secured their spot in the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs following a resounding 98-78 win over the Rockets in Game 6 to win the series 4-2 overall.
During the postgame media scrum, Deandre Ayton addressed the comments from Rockets players that suggested that they felt they were the better team because they were younger, hence implying that the Lakers are old.
“I’m just glad we were prepared, and we played super physical. We were up to tempo, which, I heard, Houston tried to call us old or whatever, but we were moving fast. We were moving those puppies, man,” said Ayton.
Deandre Ayton was the primary defender on the Rockets’ star player, Alperen Sengun, tonight and managed to hold him to only 5-12 from the floor in an elimination game. When Ayton spoke to the media and revealed that it was a result of a conversation that he had with JJ Redick.
“JJ and the coaches really challenged me to guard Sengun one-on-one…. [In Game 5], they killed us with a lot of cuts to the basket, and they made a lot of shots. I think Sengun had like eight assists, that’s eight assists, one too many,” Ayton added.
“We just wanted to go back to how we guarded them if KD were out there. Guard them straight up, and I took the challenge to my chin. Just putting the team on my back and them trusting me, so it gave me the power to close out possessions, especially when you’re chasing the rebound. So that’s what got everything going, them trusting me.”
The former No. 1 overall pick finished Game 6 with seven points, 16 rebounds, one assist, and one block while going 2-6 from the floor (33.3 FG%). Meanwhile, Sengun only had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist while shooting 41.7% from the field (5-12).
Ayton ended up averaging 11.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 60.4% from the field in this series. He managed to prove that he can not only be a reliable scorer inside the paint if the Lakers space the floor, becoming an inside-outside threat on offense, but he can also be an anchor on defense to protect the rim.
Going into the second round against the OKC Thunder, Ayton will have to go up against Chet Holmgren, who is a whole different challenge altogether. Can Ayton replicate his heroics inside the paint against the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up? Or will Chet Holmgren get the best of him? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
