LOS ANGELES — Coming into Game 1 of their first-round matchup, the Houston Rockets knew they would have their hands full trying to stop the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Lakers forward LeBron James.
With the absences of two key players due to injuries, Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain), Lakers head coach JJ Redick needed James to draw upon his vast playoff history while controlling the game with his basketball savvy and intellect.
The Rockets were well aware of James’ on-court presence, but they did not account for “Cool Hand Luke” Kennard, who the Lakers picked up at the in-season trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks.
Kennard torched the Rockets’ defense for a playoff career-high 27 points in their 107-98 Game 1 loss at the Crypto.com Arena, going 9-for-13 from the field (69.2%) while hitting all five of his 3-point attempts.
Amen Thompson, who will receive votes for the NBA All-Defensive Team this season, took full responsibility for Kennard’s hot shooting on Saturday night.
“That was my matchup, and he went off, I’ve got to be better than that,” Thompson said. “Yeah, I’ve got to be better than that.”
Thompson isn’t the only one who must be better in Game 2 on Tuesday. As a unit, Houston’s defense has to step up and prevent the Lakers from getting off to such a hot start.
Los Angeles shot 78.9% (15-for-19) from the field in the first quarter and finished the game at 60.6%, a number that is way too high to be given up by a team that prides itself on its defense.
The Rockets’ defense was scrambling and constantly switching for most of the game, which allowed Los Angeles to find different one-on-one matchups to exploit. It also helped make them so effective near the basket.
In many cases, that would prompt a team to deploy a zone while forcing teams to beat them from beyond the 3-point arc. With Doncic, the Lakers’ most effective 3-point shooter, on the bench in street clothes, it could have been an effective strategy.
It was clear that Los Angeles wanted to take advantage of individual mismatches in the paint. They attempted only 19 3-pointers for the entire game (box score), yet they were very effective in that area.
By the time Houston adjusted defensively, it was too little, too late.
“There was no resistance to start the game,” Jabari Smith Jr. told Rockets Wire postgame. “They made a lot of shots, and we were not making it tough on them. They were getting what they wanted, and we were not defending.”
“We’ve got to get better than that to start the game. We’ve got to be locked in for the totality of the game. They just got too many easy looks.”
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘No resistance’: Defensive breakdowns ground Rockets in Game 1 loss to Lakers
Reporting by Brian Barefield, Rockets Wire, Big Sarge Media / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
