There aren’t a ton of must-win openers in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs, but Los Angeles Lakers faced something close to one against the Houston Rockets absent Kevin Durant over the weekend.
However, things may not be so simple on Tuesday, with Durant tracking toward suiting up to bolster what proved a hapless Houston offense to start the postseason.
LeBron James, Luke Kennard and DeAndre Ayton were able to get the job done behind an elite night of shooting from the top of the L.A. roster to the bottom, which included a 61 percent mark from the field and a 53 percent clip from behind the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, the Rockets made just 38 percent of their shot attempts in Game 1, connecting on only 33 percent of tries from downtown. Durant drilled 52 percent of his 17.6 field goal attempts nightly during the regular season and knocked down triples at a rate of 41.3 percent on nearly six heaves per outing.
Los Angeles isn’t healthy, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both sidelined due to injuries. But even at full strength, the Lakers don’t have a defender close to capable of shutting down Durant.
A full team effort from L.A. with Durant as the primary focus might have a chance to trouble a him to some meaningful degree, and it appears the Lakers could find out as early as Tuesday night just how effective that sort of strategy can be.
“[Durant], from what I’ve heard, there’s a good chance he could return in Game 2,” Ben DuBose of USA Today reported following Game 1.
Rockets Have Not Confirmed Kevin Durant’s Return for Game 2 Against Lakers
GettyHead coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets.
Durant suffered a knee contusion during practice last week, which caused enough pain to sideline him for Saturday’s contest in Los Angeles.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said prior to Game 1 that Durant is not dealing with a major injury, though Udoka declined to provide a timeline for the superstar’s return.
“Hopefully it’s a one game thing,” Udoka said. “But he tried it out in practice, and it didn’t feel good enough.”
Given how poorly Houston played offensively on Saturday coupled with multiple reports of Durant’s frustration during and after the loss, logic dictates he will play in Game 2 after another three days of rest and rehabilitation.
Rockets’ Offense Should Improve Dramatically With Kevin Durant on Floor
GettyHouston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet.
Durant recently described himself as “the offense” for a Rockets team that has played all year without starting point guard and primary offensive facilitator Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL in September.
In VanVleet’s stead, Durant amassed a usage rate of 27.1 percent in his age-37 campaign and first season with the Rockets, during which the 16-time All-Star played 78 games — the most since he tallied 78 contests played for the Golden State Warriors in 2018-19.
Should Durant return to the floor Tuesday night, his presence is likely not only to increase the Rockets’ offensive output and efficiency due to how much more of it will run through him than anyone else, but it should also create better looks for his teammates.
The Lakers, meanwhile, have a chance to grab full control of the series by holding home court and heading to Houston up 2-0 despite the absences of both Doncic and Reaves, neither of whom yet has a clear timeline for return.
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