Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

We figured Kevin Durant would be back on the floor for the Rockets in Game 2, and we were correct. 

We figured that would mean Houston would crack 100 points... and we were wrong. The Lakers defense frustrated Durant, sending waves of bodies after him throughout the game, and save a red hot first few minutes, was held in check. LA dared anyone else to beat them, and the Rockets simply couldn't do it. Over and over, they smoked easy shots, made dumb plays, and more. Meanwhile, the Lakers found ways to get buckets when they had to. 

LeBron James was outstanding. 28 points, 14 trips to the line, eight rebounds, seven assists. Marcus Smart played his way into Lakers lore, with incredible defense, 25 points, seven dimes and true spiritual leadership. Luke Kennard followed up his 27 points in Game 1 with 23 on Tuesday. 

With the win, the Lakers don't just take real control of the series, they very likely do serious damage to Houston's psyche. The Lakers have 208 points in the series, and are a plus-16. Yes, they've played good, aggressive, attentive defense, but some of this is Houston being a really bad offensive team. And unless they can figure that out, the Rockets aren't going to clear the bar the Lakers are setting for them. 

Another fantastic night for the Lakers, who hold serve and will head to Houston after three days off. 

Still lots of work to be done, but the Lakers are in a position few expected, and have a great chance to pull off an upset in Round 1. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers win Game 2!

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The Lakers may be up 1-0 in their series against the Houston Rockets, but the odds are still stacked against them. Houston is favored in Tuesday's Game 2 even while it's still not guaranteed that Kevin Durant is going to play. And if he does? Houston is an even bigger favorite. 

But the Lakers do have an early advantage, and part of that is due to the leadership provided by, and the history of, LeBron James. 

If you had to pick a guy to be the sort of "last star standing" to shepherd a team through this type of adversity against these type of odds, LeBron would be at, or near, the top of that list. There's experience and gravitas, as well as the ability to deliver high end performance. And importantly, the Lakers have figured out how, with this group, to put LeBron in the best positions to help lead them and play at the highest potential possible. 

Can that sustain itself in Game 2? 

And meanwhile, how does the (expected) return of Durant impact the matchups and strategy for Game 2? What will JJ Redick and Ime Udoka shift on Tuesday, and what will they try to carry through? 

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The Lakers got a big lift in Game 1 when Rockets star Kevin Durant was declared unavailable with a knee injury. 

Now the Rockets might feel like they're on the receiving end of some good news, as more signs point to his availability for Tuesday's Game 2 at Crypto.com. He'll be called a gametime decision, but there is speculation that he's likely to play, and reports were that Durant was moving much better on the floor Monday at Houston's practice. 

And down 1-0, if Durant can go, he will. 

So what changes? How much harder will things get with Durant in the lineup? How should the Lakers respond? 

Leadership will obviously be a big issue, and that's where LeBron James comes in... 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Durant more likely to play?

SEGMENT 2: What changes if Durant is on the floor. 

SEGMENT 3: LeBron's leadership. 

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The NBA released its list of finalists for postseason awards - the top three vote-getters in each category - and there were no Lakers among any of them. No real surprise, there, and someone like Luka Dončić is widely expected to finish fourth in MVP (no dishonor there). It wouldn't surprise to see JJ Redick finish among the top 5-7 in Coach of the Year balloting, either. 

That, though, is a bit of an open question given how the team's season has been perceived. Even while they were winning early, many saw the Lakers as frauds. At the same time, they consistently outperformed projections, even while battling significant and overlapping injuries. 

So lots going on. 

And then there's the question of Rob Pelinka. Executive of the Year is a different deal than the postseason awards. Pelinka won't win for a variety of reasons, but it's reasonable to ask whether the work done this year should be validated. Two moves were particularly important in Game 1 - the trade deadline acquisition of Luke Kennard in exchange for Gabe Vincent, and then last summer's decision to let Dorian Finney-Smith walk and use a chunk of his money to sign Jake LaRavia. LaRavia played in all 82 games and was a positive contributor. DFS had a terrible first season in Houston, and was a DNP-CD in Game 1. 

So even if questions remain about Pelinka's skill overall as an executive, does this year go down as a win for him? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

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Losing Kevin Durant for Game 1 had a profound impact on the Rockets not just because suddenly they had 25-30 points to replace. 

Durant's presence (or lack thereof) changes the dynamic of how the Lakers can attack the Rockets, how their length and size can bother them, and how the Rockets can in turn attack the Lakers. It makes it easier for LA to play Luke Kennard bigger minutes without as much punishment defensively. It makes it harder for them to attack LeBron defensively, which makes it easier for James to control things on the other end. It makes their remaining stars less effective because their shot quality goes down. It makes those guys less confident in what they're doing, because unlike the Lakers, who have played many games without Luka, LeBron and Austin througout the year, Houston has had KD available for all but four games in the regular season. 

So whether or not Durant plays in Game 2 because incredibly critical, for all the obvious reasons... but for some that aren't so obvious, either. 

Meanwhile, the blueprint for the Lakers and LeBron in G1 was letter perfect. Control the game, without having to carry a huge load scoring points. 

Can Houston interrupt that rhythm in Game 2? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 2: Stuff the Lakers can do better. 

SEGMENT 3: How Houston might try to contain LeBron's game management. 

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The Lakers caught a break heading into Saturday's Game 1 when a bruised knee suffered in practice knocked Kevin Durant out. 

Even with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out, losing Durant ate up a lot of the advantage the Rockets have head-to-head against LA. But their good fortune would only matter if the Lakers came out and took care of business. 

That they did, playing active defense throughout and using 27 points from Luke Kennard, 19 each from Deandre Ayton (11 rebounds) and LeBron James (13 assists) plus 29 combined from Rui Hachimura to win, 107-98. The Lakers should be very pleased with how they competed, and while Rockets fans will point to the absence of Durant (which is a big deal, no question) the Lakers can take gain confidence knowing that the game wasn't perfect on their end, either. Yes, Kennard went off, but LeBron was relatively quiet as a scorer, at least. The Lakers got to the free throw line, but were pretty bad at converting, hitting only 65% of those opportunities. They also had 18 turnovers, which is more than they want. 

So there's room to grow, here, even if the shooting percentage (61% overall, 53% from 3-point range) goes down. 

The Lakers need to be ready for Houston to be better in Game 2, not just because of the prospect of Durant playing, but expecting some positive regression for the Rockets from a shooting standpoint. Yes, the Lakers played well defensively, sticking to their principles and keeping the energy high, but Houston will almost surely improve its shooting (38/33 percent splits) at least a little. 

That's how these series go. But for now, the Lakers not only got a win, but did so in a confidence-promoting way that validates their results over the final three games. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get a Game 1 win. 

SEGMENT 2: No KD for the Rockets, and it showed.

SEGMENT 3: Blueprint for Game 2? 

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It's about time to stop talking and start playing the games. 

Game 1 is Saturday at 5:30 local time, down at LA Live. The Lakers begin what remains a very, very uphill battle. The Rockets are playing well, and won't want to give the Lakers any space to think they can win the series. A good start is important. But no matter what, the Lakers will be on the wrong end of the talent allotment. 

So what's the best case scenario for how this could go? Where are the cracks the Lakers might exploit in order to pull an upset? And what's the worst case? How fast will we know which way the series will go? 

And finally... predictions!!!

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

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The Lakers got some good news Thursday as the NBA said it has approved the appeal from Luka Dončić and the Lakers for an exemption from the 65-game rule that governs postseason awards eligibility. The league agreed that the pair of games Luka missed to attend the birth of his daughter met the extraordinary circumstances threshold, and that he otherwise would have made it to 65. 

So he's good to go. 

Dončić won't win MVP -- the longshot candidacy went out the window with the result vs. OKC and the resulting injury -- but if he doesn't land on the All-NBA 1st Team, the honor is fundamentally broken. 

The whole thing needs to be rethought, anyway. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers again went through a spirited practice in El Segundo on Thursday, and seem about as prepared as you can be in the situation they're in. Everyone has a healthy understanding of what they're up against, while maintaining a spirit of optimism and possibility. They have confidence in what they're doing, and certainly aren't feeling sorry for themselves. 

And with all that, if there's an advantage the Lakers have it's in expectations: Nobody believes they'll win. Nobody is really expecting them to be all that competitive. So just go play and try to do something special. And while they have an obvious talent deficit, it's easy to believe the Lakers have the mental toughness and heart to make Houston earn it. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers and Luka get some good news on Thursday. 

SEGMENT 2: LeBron praises Houston's depth. 

SEGMENT 3: The Lakers have the right spirit and mental toughness. 

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"All hands on deck." 

"Next man up." 

These are pretty stock sports cliches trotted out anytime someone important suffers an injury. But while there isn't really a next man to be up when the lost men are Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves -- they're too good to be replaced in that way -- the Lakers do need to adopt a mentality where everyone is ready to contribute, and truly all hands are, in fact, on deck. The only way for the Lakers to pull an upset over the Rockets is for the sum to be greater than the parts. 

And while a big chunk of the rotation is set (the Lakers have eight guys who are almost surely going to play meaningful minutes) on any given night a ninth or 10th player could be given an opportunity. Could that mean Bronny James? Nick Smith Jr.? Even Dalton Knecht? Yes, yes and yes. Each of these guys has, on one side of the ball or the other, a skill set JJ Redick might need, if only for a few minutes. 

They could be long shots, but so are the Lakers. And for the guys who would have played anyway, many will be asked to do similarly surprising things, and rise above the role they've played all year. 

So how will Redick mix and match? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

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The Lakers are facing a serious talent deficit heading into the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets. Their best available player is 41 years old. They don't have anyone else on the roster who has been a real number one, or even a number two. The closest thing would be Deandre Ayton, who at his best was a featured player in Phoenix who put up close to 20 a night. 

Everyone knows about Ayton's inconsistencies, but the talent as a scorer is there. And over the course of this Lakers season, he's often been the difference between a good Lakers performance and a great one. 

So can he do it now? Not just with the pressure of a playoff series, but without two of the players who help draw attention and get him good looks (Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves) and far more attention put on him by a very good Houston defense? 

It's a big ask. Then again, everyone on the roster is facing something similar. 

That's why the Rockets are favored. 

Another? Rebounding. The Rockets are great at it. The Lakers are ... sometimes decent and too often not. If they can't keep up on the glass, JJ Redick believes (rightly) they don't have a chance in the series.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Ayton raises the ceiling. 

SEGMENT 2: Is he ready to roll? 

SEGMENT 3: Why the challenge is harder than people might realize. 

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