Heading into their first-round playoff series, one perceived advantage for the Rockets was the injured status of Lakers guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
But Los Angeles missing its two top scorers probably won’t matter if Houston can’t sufficiently score on the other end.
The Rockets fell into a 2-0 hole in the best-of-seven series with Tuesday’s 101-94 loss (box score). Game 3 is Friday night in Houston, and no team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit to advance.
With that in mind, in what is being looked at internally as a must-win game, there is one side of the ball where improvement is most needed.
“Defending well enough, (but) not scoring,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said after Game 2. “That’s the bottom line through these two games.”
In both of the two losses in Los Angeles, the Rockets failed to score 100 points. By comparison, the NBA’s two lowest-scoring offenses of the 2025-26 season — the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks — averaged 105.9 and 110.6 points per game, respectively.
The Lakers are averaging 104.0 points per game in the two wins, so in that sense, the absences of Doncic and Reaves are likely being felt.
It’s just that Houston’s offense has performed so terribly that it’s been almost impossible to win, regardless of the Los Angeles total.
“We’re just not making shots,” said Kevin Durant, who led the Rockets with 23 points (58.3% FG) in Game 2. “We’re not shooting the ball well. They’re making shots. They’re shooting the ball well.”
Unfortunately, Durant also led Houston with a game-high nine turnovers, with many coming late in the game against aggressive double teams. To JJ Redick, head coach of the Lakers, it appears there isn’t much fear that Durant’s teammates will consistently make open shots and appropriate reads off those 4-on-3 scenarios — and that’s only if Durant and the Rockets are able to avoid a turnover beforehand.
Houston’s Game 1 loss came with Durant (right knee contusion) on the sidelines, so it was easy to think the offense might improve with the All-Star forward back in the lineup.
Instead, other Rockets continued to misfire at similar rates, and the turnovers were even higher with Durant.
Through two games, the ghastly shooting statistics for Durant’s teammates are as follows:
“I’m just missing so many easy shots,” Sengun said after Game 2.
And it’s not as if there are obvious alternatives to turn to, further down the bench. Aaron Holiday is 0-of-7, Jae’Sean Tate is 1-of-6 (16.7%), and Clint Capela is 1-of-5 (20.0%).
Tari Eason was a rare success story in Game 1, shooting 7-for-7 from the field. However, he regressed to shoot just 4-of-14 (28.6%) in Game 2.
“We dominated every other aspect of the game, but they dominated in the shotmaking department,” Durant said of the Lakers, who shot 13-of-28 from 3-point range (46.4%). “We’ve got to be better.”
Houston had almost identical 3-point volume but far worse accuracy, shooting 7-of-29 (24.1%) from deep.
If there’s any consolation for the Rockets, it could be the old NBA playoff adage that role players shoot better at home. Outside of Durant and LeBron James, it could be argued that the series in its current state (without Doncic) lacks any other high-end stars.
Perhaps the Lakers miss more shots over the next two games in Houston’s Toyota Center, and maybe the Rockets surrounding Durant are due to make a few more.
But even if that happens, Houston can’t win the series without eventually taking at least one game in Los Angeles. In all likelihood, that will require significantly better offensive execution than what was shown over the first two games.
“They’re daring us to shoot,” Durant said. “They’re daring us to make plays. They feel confident in us not making shots. It’s that simple.”
To this point, it’s a winning bet for the short-handed Lakers.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘They’re daring us to shoot’: Lakers demoralize Rockets, lead series 2-0
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
