Lakers Receive Worrying Development Before Critical Game 6 in Houston

It all comes down to this for the Los Angeles Lakers. A Game 6 back in Houston. In front of a screaming crowd.

After the way the Lakers won the last time in Toyota Center, it felt the earliest they would be back in that arena would be sometime next season. 

The Houston Rockets fumbled a six-point lead with roughly 30 seconds remaining in regulation. And lost. 

The more you say it or read it, the more it doesn’t make a lick of sense. 

L.A. was fortunate enough to squeak by in Game 3 by preying on the Rockets’ late-game blunders. The Lakers also probably got a good kick out of watching Houston head coach Ime Udoka tear into his guys after the game, suggesting they may have been “scared of the moment.”

Suddenly Houston looks like a new team with new life. The Rockets aren’t exactly in the driver’s seat yet — they are still down 2-3 and have to win out to claim the series — but are oozing confidence.

What do the Lakers have up their sleeves?

Another disappointment? 

Or desperation to enter the second round?

Los Angeles Lakers See Concerning Trend Entering Game 6

Let’s cut to the chase: L.A. has been something else lately. And no, that isn’t meant in a flattering way. 

The Lakers have not looked like a playoff team in Games 4 and 5. They have, though, done a marvelous job of re-opening the door for the Rockets to somehow come back from a 1-3 deficit. 

By winning Game 5, Houston became just the 16th team ever to force a Game 6 after going down 0-3 in a series. That means the Lakers are already on the bad side of history. 

Please, don’t let it be!

These Lakers can perhaps feel it in the back of their minds that the Rockets know they can come back. And if L.A. plays anything close to the way it has in the last two games, well, folks … history could be in the making.

According to Benjamin Rover of the Orange County Register, the Lakers ranked awfully-low in multiple vital playoff stat categories entering Thursday’s slate of games. 

“Over each playoff team’s last two games, the Lakers have recorded the third-worst average of points per 100 possessions (103.3 ppg), the third-lowest assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08) and the worst turnover rate in the playoff field (21.3% of all possessions),” Rover wrote. “In their first three games, the Lakers shot 46.1% from 3-point range. Since, their 3-point percentage has dropped to 28.7% – while averaging the fewest attempts from behind the arc per game (25) of any playoff team.”

Where Has He Disappeared Off to? 

There he was, patting the ball like it was on a string, twirling back to the 3-point line before effortlessly flicking the wrist.

It was smooth, confident, flat-out that “I’m him!” kind of play. 

If one squinted hard enough, perhaps he or she would mistake him for Austin Reaves or Luka Doncic. 

No. That was Luke Kennard, the Lakers’ savior in the first two games of the series. The unshaken new point guard on the team after the injuries to the stars. 

GettyLuke Kennard of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a foul call as his struggles continued in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets.

But where has that Kennard gone? 

“Add the fact that Luke Kennard has all but vanished over the last 96 minutes – the sharpshooter scoring just eight points while going 0 for 5 from behind the arc – and the Lakers might need Reaves to bridge the offensive gap exploited by two defeats to close the series, Rover wrote”

Have faith, Lakers fans. The Kennard of old has a shot to reappear in Friday’s Game 6. All from the previous three games will be forgiven if he does. 

L.A. has needed Kennard’s table-setting as much as they have needed his 3-point shooting since February. 

Over the last three games, Kennard has hit only one of his 11 3-point attempts. Of course, not all of that is his fault; the Rockets have stepped up their defensive intensity. 

Plus, Kennard isn’t a ball-handler by nature. At least that’s not what his role has been since he entered the NBA.

The Lakers have more problems than just Kennard’s struggles. 

Transition defense needs to improve and the careless turnovers need to be put to bed for good. 

Can L.A. right the wrongs of the last two games? They’ll surely try. 

In the meantime, the defending champs are somewhere kicking their feet up while rattling off an evil laugh as they watch this series unfold.

Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

The post Lakers Receive Worrying Development Before Critical Game 6 in Houston appeared first on HEAVY.