So much of the dialogue leading into Saturday was about how the Lakers would withstand being withoutLuka Doncic (left hamstring strain)and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) during their playoff series against the Rockets.
But within 24 hours, the dynamic shifted, with Rockets starKevin Durant popping up on the injury reportbecause of a right knee contusion he suffered during practice earlier in the week.
And the Lakers were the ones who took advantage of their opponent missing their leading scorer, beating the Rockets 107-98 in Game 1 of theirbest-of-seven first-round serieson Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Offense didn’t come easily for the Lakers, either.
They turned the ball over 20 times, helping the Rockets stay in the game with 24 points off those giveaways.
But the Lakers’ intentionality with their offense led to 60.6% shooting from the field (40 of 66) and 52.6% shooting from beyond the 3-point arc (10 of 19).
Luke Kennard led the way with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, making all five of his 3s.
LeBron James finished with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
All five Lakers starters scored at least 10 points.
Deandre Ayton had a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Marcus Smart had 15 points and eight assists and Rui Hahcimura scored 14 points
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
