By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: ESPN
Luke Kennard had to be the aggressor for the Los Angeles Lakers. There was no Luka Doncic and no Austin Reaves. Kennard responded by leading the Lakers with 27 points in a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets to take Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
Kennard went 5-for-5 from downtown. His fourth-quarter performance was what elevated the Lakers to run away with the victory. The Rockets were missing Kevin Durant. We are still waiting to see the status of Game 2. Durant’s right knee has been bothering him. Hopefully, he can suit up for the next game.
LeBron James didn’t have a strong scoring night, but his ability to facilitate was phenomenal. James had 10 assists in the first half. He finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists.
The Lakers had five players in double figures. Lakers center DeAndre Ayton posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 8-for-10 from the field—good performance by the big man. Rui Hachimura added 14 points, shot 6-for-10 from the field, and 2-for-4 from downtown.
Free-throw shooting had a real impact in this game. The Lakers made 11 of 15 free throws in the third quarter. The Rockets and Lakers made the game competitive in the first half. The Lakers got off to a fast start, making field goals, and the Rockers were responding as well. At one point in the half, the Lakers led as many as 10, but the Rockets closed the half by cutting the deficit to two. Lakers led 50-48.
The Rockets could’ve won this game had they not committed too many fouls in the third quarter. In addition, Alperen Sengun didn’t have a great shooting performance. Sengun went 6-of-19 from the field, finishing with 19 points. Jalen Green had 16 points on 5-for-14 from the field. The impressive contribution from the Rockets’ bench was from Tari Eason. He scored 16 points, 10 rebounds, and went perfect from the field (7-of-7) and 2-for-2 from three-point range.
It’s the 10th playoff series between the Rockets and the Lakers, dating back to 1981. Their last playoff match was in 2020 during the bubble. The Lakers won the semifinals in five games.
Game 2 will be on Tuesday at 10:30 pm ET on NBC/Peacock, as the Rockets look to even the series and the Lakers try to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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