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Short-handed Lakers are underdogs against Rockets but can’t be dismissed
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- Short-handed Lakers are underdogs against Rockets but can’t be dismissed
Let's cut to the chase: The Lakers should be underdogs for their first-round NBA playoff series against the Rockets .
The Lakers' Luka Doncic is expected to watch Saturday's game from the bench while he recovers from injury. NBAE via Getty Images
If you took the top-two scorers away from most playoff teams, which is the reality the Lakers faced when Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) suffered their regular-season-ending injuries April 2 and coach JJ Redick confirmed earlier this week that they're sidelined "indefinitely, " they'd be in a similar position.
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Less talented.
Less potent.
The preferred playoff matchup by other teams.
That's where the Lakers are after a week of preparation ahead of the series against the Rockets, which starts at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Crypto.com Arena (ABC).
The Lakers are down two of their most important players. But their season isn't over.
They still have hope.
Buoyed by the fact that LeBron James , who's looked as spry as he has this entire season, is back in a familiar position as the team's No. 1 option. Or that Redick and his coaching staff have had multiple weeks to adjust to life without Doncic and Reaves.
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"They're going to prepare us," James said. "They've all prepared us all year long. Won 53 games? They've prepared us all year. So we look forward to [continuing] to learn and learn."
There's optimism within the Lakers for how the next few weeks against the Rockets will go.
The Lakers' LeBron James (23) will be the team's No. 1 offensive option until Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic return. AP
"The mindset for our team and for those two guys: We're gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point," Redick said. "We don't know what that is, and that's just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that's what we're trying to do."
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How can the Lakers stay afloat against the Rockets without Doncic and Reaves? Or at least extend the season long enough to provide the star guard duo with enough time to make their potential returns to the floor?
Here are two keys:
1. Possession battle
Redick quickly established the top-line items for the Lakers early in the week: defensive rebounding and taking care of the basketball.
There's already been an acknowledgment that the Lakers will allow offensive rebounds. It's the reality they have to accept against a Rockets team that led the league in offensive rebounding percentage for the second consecutive season and had the best offensive rebounding season in over 20 years.
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The challenges for the Lakers: How many offensive rebounds can they prevent (conversely, how many defensive rebounds can they grab) with quality boxouts? How often can they grab the defensive boards instead of trapping the ball around above their heads, giving the rangy-and-athletic Rockets an opportunity to swipe the ball back for another shot opportunity?
The Rockets, who led the league with an offensive rebounding percentage of 38.8 during the regular season, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 46.7 in the three regular-season matchups between the Lakers and Rockets.
The Lakers were outscored by an average 20.3-9 in second-chance points during the regular-season series, leading to the Rockets having a 41.3-27.3 combined advantage in points off turnovers and second-chance scoring — a 14-point gap.
This can be made up for with winning the 3-point battle, which the Lakers did by an average of 9.9 points during the regular season.
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Or free throws, which is a part of the possession battle the Lakers are used to winning. But without Doncic and Reaves, who combined for 17.4 free throws during the regular season, those extra shots at the charity stripe will be more challenging to come by.
The Rockets thrive by winning the possession battle — even with their own struggles when it comes to taking care of the ball.
If the Lakers close the gap, they'll find themselves in more competitive games than most expect.
2. Be intentional
Redick has an insightful response when asked about his preferred pace.
"I don't think we necessarily have to change our identity offensively," Redick said. "We had the eighth-best halfcourt offensive in the league without Luka and AR. We've scored in the half court. We've got to be very, very intentional in the half court. The pace thing, I think is a little misconstrued, because part of pace is not how many possessions you have but what you do with those possessions.
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"Charlotte's a great example. They're not necessarily like a high-pace team, but they play with a ton of pace in the half court. I think that will be important for us: Getting multiple actions will be important."
This ties into the possession battle: The Lakers can't afford to waste possessions.
Their margin of error decreases without Doncic and Reaves.
That doesn't mean they need to play slowly. Quite the opposite, actually.
Offensive pace and movement, especially off the ball, will be their allies.
But they also don't have the margin of error to push the ball in transition without success.
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Or have no-pass or one-pass possessions against a Rockets defense that ranked top 10 in half-court defense and defensive rebounding percentage.
Intentionality needs to be the driving force behind every possession for the Lakers. Without it, their chances to win will go from slim to none.
