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Previous Lakers-Rockets matchups are difficult — but not impossible — to learn from
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- Previous Lakers-Rockets matchups are difficult — but not impossible — to learn from
Go all the way back to the Christmas Day matchup between the Lakers and Rockets and you'll see a dominant performance from Steven Adams on the offensive glass en route to a controlling Rockets victory.
Rewatch the Lakers ' pair of wins over the Rockets in Houston from just a month ago and you'll witness back-to-back brilliant offensive showings from Luka Doncic , in addition to important supporting moments on both ends of the floor from Austin Reaves .
During the regular season, the Lakers had LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the lineup against the Rockets. That won't be the case at the beginning of the first-round NBA playoff series. NBAE via Getty Images
This is why the regular-season matchups between the Lakers and Rockets, which the Lakers won 2-1, are difficult — but not impossible — to learn from entering the first-round playoff series .
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The Lakers saw different versions of the Rockets each time they played:
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A fully healthy Houston squad (minus Fred VanVleet , who's been sidelined the entire season after tearing his right ACL during an offseason workout) on Dec. 25;
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The Rockets without Adams and All-Star big man Alperen Sengun on March 16 ;
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And a Houston team without Adams and Jae'Sean Tate on March 18 – which is as close to the version of the Rockets the Lakers are expected to see in Saturday's Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena.
But each version of the Lakers that the Rockets played against featured Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James in the starting lineup — which won't be the case Saturday. Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Reaves (left oblique strain) are out "indefinitely" after suffering their regular-season-ending injuries April 2.
So, the ball-screen-heavy offense led by Doncic and Reaves that the Rockets had to battle against in the three regular-season matchups?
It's been replaced by an offense that's more reliant on off-ball screens to create advantages.
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The combined 47.4 points and 11.7 assists Doncic and Reaves combined to average in the three games against the Rockets, including 52.5 points and 13.5 assists in the games Reaves finished after leaving midway through the Dec. 25 matchup because of a calf injury, have been distributed throughout the roster.
Rockets big man Alperen Sengun (left) didn't play against the Lakers on March 16. NBAE via Getty Images
"We're going to lean on everybody; it's going to be balanced," Marcus Smart said. "We're going to lean on [ Deandre Ayton ] a lot, we're going to LeBron, myself, Rui [Hachimura], obviously, Luke [ Kennard ], those guys, and it's going to take everybody. It's a different style of play, and I think that's something that Houston isn't prepared for, or are going to try to prepare for because they haven't seen us without those guys. They've always played us with them, so they always have a matchup and game plan for them. It'll be interesting to see how they play us without them."
Even though the Lakers aren't as talented without Doncic and Reaves, they'll also be unfamiliar entering Game 1.
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The Rockets only played against the version of the Lakers that featured James averaging just 13.3 field- goal attempts (leading to an efficient 22 points) and four assists as he picked his spots while Doncic led the way with carrying the offensive load. Not the version of James who averaged 17.5 shot attempts (25.5 points) and 11 assists in his final four regular-season games as the No. 1 option with Doncic and Reaves sidelined.
Kennard averaged 6.4 assists in the final five games, in addition to 12.2 points, after having a combined five points and three assists in the two games he played against the Rockets.
The Lakers went from one of the teams making the fewest passes per game (269.7; 27th) to top 10 in passing (296.2; 10th) without Doncic and Reaves.
Their assist percentage (the percentage of field goals that were assisted) spiked from 60.6% in the first 77 games (22nd) to 76.2% in the final five games (second).
Rockets' Durant dunks the ball as James defends on March 18. AP
The Lakers are worse off without Doncic and Reaves.
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But they're also less familiar. Which, at least for a game or moments within games, can work to their advantage.
"They got guys that can step up and fill some of those roles they were missing," Kevin Durant told reporters in Houston. "Obviously, missing two of the best players in the league is tough to make up for. But they got guys that can come in and make a huge impact. We've got our work cut out for us."
The Lakers will still have to work through issues — some familiar and some not.
A familiar one: How will they manage the defensive glass against a Rockets team that led the league in offensive rebounding?
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An unfamiliar one: How will they try to create offensive advantages against a Rockets defense that's less likely to hedge or blitz ball screens without Doncic and Reaves on the floor?
The regular-season matchups provided some clues, while also making it clear the playoff series will be unfamiliar territory for both teams.
