Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 101-94 to take a 2-0 lead in the first round, with LeBron James carrying a heavy load in the absence of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. James finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes, and he went 10 of 14 from the foul line, as RotoWire reported.
James scored nine fourth quarter points, including a two-handed dunk that gave Los Angeles a 99-92 lead with 55.3 seconds remaining, as Jeff Zillgitt wrote for NBA.com. Luke Kennard added 23 points, six rebounds and three steals, and Marcus Smart contributed 25 points, seven assists and five steals while knocking down five 3s, as ESPN reported.
The Lakers started Smart and Kennard without Dončić and Reaves available, and the pair combined for efficient shooting. Jeff Zillgitt noted they were a combined 16 for 26 from the field and 8 for 13 from long range, a performance that helped Los Angeles overcome Houston despite Kevin Durant returning to the Rockets' lineup.
Durant Struggles And Series Trends
Kevin Durant returned to the Rockets' starting lineup after missing Game 1 with a bruised right knee, and he was cleared to play after pregame warmups, ESPN reported. Durant scored 20 first half points but managed just three in the second half, finished with 23 points, took only 12 shots and committed nine turnovers, according to ESPN.
Houston said it struggled to shoot and to finish around the rim. ESPN recorded the Rockets at 40.4 percent shooting in Game 2 with seven made 3s, and Jeff Zillgitt added that through the first two games Houston was 29 percent from three while Los Angeles was 48.9 percent from distance.
Durant described the night as a poor performance, saying he had a bad game and that doubling forced difficult decisions, as ESPN reported. He added that he needs to shoot more when teams send two or three defenders, and that doing so could create offensive rebound chances or better looks for teammates.
Los Angeles coach JJ Redick praised the defensive plan and the contributions from his roster while declining to take full credit for the series start, as Jeff Zillgitt reported. The supporting cast supplied late free throws from Kennard and timely shots from Smart, while reserves were limited across both teams with Tari Eason scoring 10 for Houston and Jaxson Hayes adding six for Los Angeles, Zillgitt noted.
