Story by
Why Lakers will upset Rockets despite Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves injuries
- Story by
- Why Lakers will upset Rockets despite Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves injuries
Why Lakers will upset Rockets despite Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves injuries appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The basketball world has written off the Los Angeles Lakers . Luka Doncic is sidelined with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain sustained on April 2 against Oklahoma City , and Austin Reaves is projected to miss most, if not all, of the first round with a Grade 2 oblique muscle injury. Two of the team's best players, gone before a single playoff game tips off. On paper, Houston 's No. 5-seeded Rockets should roll. On paper.
Advertisement
But basketball is not played on paper. It is played in arenas packed with purple and gold, and the Lakers, despite every reason to fold, have both the resilience and the structural advantages to shock the Rockets in this first-round series.
King James Was Built for Moments Like This
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
LeBron James is still the best player on the planet to lead a team that is short-handed into battle. In 53 playoff games with the Lakers, James has averaged 26.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. Those numbers don't get better with time; they become legendary.
With Doncic and Reaves off the floor during the regular season, James stepped back into his natural role as the offensive engine. He averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists this season, and while those numbers are respectable, they reflect a reduced role by design. Now that design is gone. James will be the focal point, and if history has taught us anything, LeBron James in a must-win playoff moment is one of the most dangerous forces in the sport.
Advertisement
Head coach JJ Redick has already identified his expanded rotation: James, Rui Hachimura , Luke Kennard , and DeAndre Ayton will shoulder the offensive load. Hachimura shot a scorching 44.3% from three-point range this season, giving the Lakers an elite spot-up threat to space the floor for LeBron. Kennard, who arrived at the trade deadline and shot an eye-popping 44.8% from deep this season, hit a late-game winner against Orlando during the regular-season winning streak. These are not bottom-of-the-roster filler players, these are legitimate weapons.
The Lakers closed the regular season on a three-game blowout win streak over Golden State , Phoenix, and Utah, and finished 53-29 as the fourth seed in the West. That momentum, combined with the desperation and urgency that comes with playing without your stars, can transform a team's identity overnight.
Houston's Fatal Flaws Are Made for This Matchup
Let's be clear about something: the Rockets have real vulnerabilities, and the shorthanded Lakers may be uniquely positioned to exploit them.
Advertisement
Kevin Durant has been Houston's best player all season, fourth in the league in total clutch points. But KD's biggest weakness? His passing under pressure. Durant leads the entire NBA in clutch turnovers with 21 on the season, nearly matching his 22 clutch assists. When opponents double him, Houston simply does not have the ball movement or decision-making infrastructure to punish that coverage.
That's exactly where Marcus Smart shines. Smart, who is great at making things messy and putting pressure on ball-handlers, averaged 1.4 steals per game this season. He has a defensive tenacity that no amount of talent can completely stop. Smart's ability to block passing lanes and put people in tough spots is a tactical gift for Redick when the offense is centered around Durant and is likely to turn the ball over.
Meanwhile, Alperen Sengun , Houston's second star and primary facilitator, has had an inconsistent season. While he's surged late on a hot streak, Sengun's defensive footwork has been a chronic liability, and DeAndre Ayton, who shot an absurd 67.1% from the field this regular season, will have a field day operating in the paint against Sengun's coverage. Ayton's efficiency near the rim combined with his size could force Sengun into foul trouble early and often, limiting Houston's offensive rhythm.
The Rockets are beatable. They have been all season, their 52-30 record reflects a flawed team that looked great in spurts but never fully solved its own offensive clunking. And now they face a team that has nothing to lose and a 41-year-old king who refuses to die.
Advertisement
The Series Is Far From Over And That's the Point
The Lakers beat the Rockets 2-1 in the regular season and won both games after the All-Star break by a lot. Yes, Doncic scored 36 and 40 points in those wins. But James, Hachimura, Smart, and Kennard, who are all role players, also had to help the team win. They are now the team's main players who will help them stay in the playoffs.
Doncic himself is traveling back to Los Angeles after treatment in Spain, and there remains a possibility, perhaps a series-altering one, that he returns in the later stages of this matchup. The Grade 2 hamstring strain carries a four-to-six week recovery window, but Doncic received specialized injections abroad to accelerate the process. If the Lakers can steal Games 1 and 2 at home before Doncic potentially returns, this series flips entirely.
Count the Lakers out if you want. The Rockets will be doing the same thing, and that might be exactly the fuel LeBron James needs to author another impossible chapter in one of sports' greatest careers.
Related: Analyst drops bold LeBron James-Kevin Durant comparison before Lakers-Rockets playoff clash
Related: Jayson Tatum's insane Achilles recovery earns LeBron James' stamp of celebration
