HOUSTON — This is what the Lakers andDeandre Ayton have been building towardall season.
To be at a place whereAyton not only executed the rolethe Lakers asked of him at a high level but also took pride in it.
To consistently make a difference in games even if the impact didn’t show up in the box score.
And that’s what Ayton provided early in theLakers’ first-round playoff seriesagainst the Rockets.
“It’s been fun, I’m not gonna lie,” Ayton said Friday. “Especially just having a team out there that [has] your back and everybody just dialed in on the defensive end.Defense [has] really been funon that end with the communication, the terminologies we’ve created and practiced. And the schemes we’ve created as well. Just being players, adjusting to certain coverages they throw at us. And all of that’s just fun, just being at war with your guys that’s on the same mission as you.”
Ayton’s impact in the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Rockets in Los Angeles, with his stats reflecting his significance: 19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot, being a plus-7 in 35 minutes during a game the Lakers won by nine points.
His stats in the Game 2 victory weren’t as impressive: six points on 3-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, one blocked shot and one assist, being a minus-5 in a game the Lakers won by seven. But the box score didn’t tell the whole story.
He once again played impeccable defense against Rockets All-Star big man Alperen Sengun, who shot 1 of 8 from the field when Ayton guarded him, according to the league’s tracking data.
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The Lakers continued to be a much better defensive rebounding team when Ayton was on the floor compared to when he was on the bench, even if he wasn’t the one grabbing the defensive boards.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
