When the decibel level inside Crypto.com Arena surpasses 100 dB you typically know which superstar caused it.
MaybeLuka Doncicjust hit a one-legged three as he fell into the first row.
MaybeLeBron Jamesjust threw down a thunderous one-handed slam off the fast break.
Maybe Austin Reaves just broke a defender’s ankles with a crossover and hit a fadeaway jumper plus the foul.
But on Saturday night forGame 1 of the NBA Playoffsbetween the Houston Rockets and theLos Angeles Lakersthe noise was for someone else, someone nobody expected.
Kennard is the type of player that most teams treat like a luxury, not a lifeline. But without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Kennard had the Lakers looking organized and dangerous.
Kennard didn’t just step into a bigger role in the Lakers’ 107-98 Game 1 win over the Rockets. He hijacked the entire premise of this series. Houston came in expecting to load up on LeBron and dare the other Lakers’ players to beat them.
Kennard didn’t just accept the dare. He embarrassed it.
“That was my matchup and he went off, I gotta be better than that,” said Rockets’ forward Amen Thompson, who is one of the best defenders in the NBA, and was tasked with the assignment of guarding Kennard in Game 1.
Kennard torched the Rockets to the tune of 27 points. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from three. He achieved a milestone in the process, becomingjust the third player in franchise playoff historyto hit 100% from deep on five or more attempts, joining Robert Horry (1997) and Byron Scott (1991).
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
