Luke Kennard hopes to have another big performance to help L.A. take a 2-0 series lead over Houston.
Whether Houston Rockets All-Star Kevin Durant is available for Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers doesn’t alter Houston’s mission.
The Rockets need improved play offensively and defensively if they want to avoid a 2-0 deficit against the Lakers, who took a 1-0 series lead with a 107-98 victory on Saturday.
And of course, it will help the Rockets if Durant can play.
Here are three things to watch for in Game 2 of this first-round Western Conference series between the Rockets and Lakers on Tuesday night (10:30 ET, NBC/Peacock).
1. Will Durant play in Game 2?
Remove 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game and nearly 50/40/90 shooting splits from a lineup, and it will have an impact. The Rockets were unable to compensate for Durant’s absence in Game 1.
Durant injured his right knee during Wednesday’s practice when he bumped knees with a teammate.
“It’s soreness. It’s very tender,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “It’s tough to bend in certain ways. Not a lot of swelling. He hit it in a very awkward spot … It could’ve been a regular bumped knee, and he would’ve played through that. But it was right above the knee, the patellar tendon area.”
Will Durant play?
“Pain tolerance is one thing, but actually limited movement is more the cause,” Udoka said.
If he plays, some of Houston’s offensive woes will evaporate. If he’s unavailable, Alperen Sengun (6-for-19 shooting in Game 1), Jabari Smith Jr. (5-for-14) and Reed Sheppard (6-for-20, 5-for-14 on 3-pointers) will need much better games.
The injury also altered Houston’s bench minutes: just one reserve played more than 11 minutes, and starters Amen Thompson and Smith each logged more than 43 minutes. Sheppard had to play 10 more minutes (36) than his season average.
Houston took 27 more shots, made more 3s than the Lakers and committed seven fewer turnovers – and didn’t reach 100. That’s what happens when a team shoots 37.6% from the field.
“It’s hard to win with those numbers,” Udoka said.
2. How much of the load can James carry at 41 years old?
LeBron James is so old – “how old is he?” – that he played in a playoff game alongside his son, Bronny, making them the first father-son duo to appear in a postseason game. They shared just under four minutes of court time as James directed the Lakers to a victory with 19 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and one block.
The Lakers were also without Luka Dončić (left hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique strain). Before Dončić and Reaves sustained injuries in the 77th game, the Lakers had settled into a nice flow offensively with James as the third option – albeit not your average No. 3.
Now, he has to manage more of the offense, and he produced in Game 1, dominating with his passing in nearly 40 minutes – outlet passes, lobs, drive-and-kicks, underhand deliveries, lasers. It was the type of effort that has become refined art.
The Lakers will keep counting on him to produce like that.
3. Who else steps up for Lakers?
Los Angeles’ Luke Kennard, a February trade deadline acquisition, scored 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including 5-for-5 on 3s, in Game 1. The Rockets will try to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
However, Deandre Ayton also had a solid game (19 points, 11 rebounds), Rui Hachimura added 14 points and savvy veteran Marcus Smart contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. It was a superior performance from the Lakers’ starters as their shortened rotation scored 13 points. Of the four reserves who played, none made more than one field goal.
“I’m already thinking about ways that I could have been better, putting us in a position to be more successful, both offensively and defensively,” James said. “We’ve got a lot of room for improvement going into Tuesday.”
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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