Lakers-Rockets Rematch: Breaking Down Lakers Pressure Points
A quick dive into the film of how the Lakers hunt the weakest link
The Lakers beat the Rockets in a low-scoring affair in the first game of this mini two-game series, securing their sixth straight win. Tonight brings a rematch against a hungry Houston team, now reinforced by the return of Alperen Sengun, with Kevin Durant looking to prove he can solve the Lakers’ aggressive defense and double teams that frustrated him in the first matchup.
These mini-series are always fun because they bring playoff-like adjustments. For the Rockets, that will of course mean finding better counters to the Lakers’ doubling of Durant. Having another scorer and passer in Sengun will help, and the Lakers will have to deal with his scoring on the block and added rebounding presence. Cleaning up the rebounding, where the Lakers were dominated by Houston for the second time in as many games this season, should be a top priority for JJ Redick and his team.
Sengun will also give Ime Udoka an additional player, allowing him to reduce the minutes for his main rotation. He played a playoff-like eight-man rotation, with Josh Okogie as the eighth man logging only seven and a half minutes. Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. both played more than 40 minutes, while Durant logged 37, and Tari Eason (34) and Reed Sheppard (31) both played more than 30.
Sheppard, at 31 minutes, was a problem, as predicted in my preview. The second-year, 6’2” guard, along with big man Clint Capela, was the main target of the Lakers’ attack. Sengun will help them significantly on the boards and on offense, but he will be the third player in the rotation that the Lakers will target. Redick talked postgame about how much more difficult it is to score against the Rockets when they play all-wing lineups with no clear weaknesses (although Luka Dončić seems to find extra motivation to go at and score against his old friend Dorian Finney-Smith).
