Three Takeaways From The Lakers Evening Their Series With The Rockets

The Lakers came out, unsurprisingly, looking to set the tone in Game 2 of their series with the Rockets after being outplayed and outworked in the opener. They ran out to a 21-point lead and, much like their first round series, it looked as though they might’ve just rope-a-doped the Rockets out of the gates and were set to take control of not just the game but the series.

The Rockets had a response, though, in the form of a third quarter run in which they caught fire from three-point range and stormed back to take a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter. However, it was there that LeBron James took over and helped push the Lakers to a 117-109 win and even the series at a game apiece going into Tuesday. It was a highly entertaining game, falling firmly into the “game of runs” category, and hopefully is indicative of what the rest of this series has to offer. Here are our takeaways from Game 2 as we now look ahead to the rest of this series.

Russ giveth and Russ taketh

Game 1 was a really good Russell Westbrook game. He didn’t shoot it great from the perimeter, but he did all the other things you want to see from him in terms of attacking downhill but staying in control and wreaking havoc on defense. In Game 2, he was the polar opposite and the Rockets got absolutely hammered in the minutes he was on the floor. Russ picked up five fouls in three quarters, which led to him playing matador defense in the fourth trying his best not to pick up a sixth. On offense, he exhibited all of his worst habits: committing turnovers, playing out of control, and generally taking the Rockets out of their rhythm on the way to 10 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and seven turnovers.

It’s hard to overstate just how detrimental Westbrook was to the Rockets on Sunday night, as just about everyone else was spectacular in Game 2. They had five players hit at least three three-pointers, including six from Eric Gordon who was the scoring catalyst for their third quarter run that let them erase a 21-point deficit to regain the lead — James Harden’s playmaking was also sensational in that quarter.

However, when Westbrook was in the game, everything became a grind, with L.A. happily helping off of him to send extra defenders at Harden and then simply rotating back to cut off his drive rather than trying to close out on him beyond the arc. If Russ isn’t able to get to the rim under control, he makes life so much easier for the Lakers defense because it collapses the spacing for Houston — particularly when Harden’s on the floor and they’re sending doubles at him with Russ’ defender. Westbrook can still have a positive impact on this team, we saw that in Game 1, but when he’s playing as he did in Game 2, Mike D’Antoni might have to be quicker with the hook for Russ, because it was painful to watch.

LeBron and Anthony Davis showed up and showed out

The first game wasn’t a bad performance from LeBron and AD, but it wasn’t the impact those two have to have for this Lakers team to succeed. They both stepped it up in Game 2, with LeBron posting 28 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists (including the dagger turnaround jumper) and Davis coming out aggressive early for 34 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.

The Lakers got better contributions from the bench unit on Sunday as well, with Markieff Morris (16 points), Kyle Kuzma (13 points), and Rajon Rondo (10 points, nine assists) all chipping in some much needed help, but it seemed as though James and Davis recognized that to get through this series they can’t merely be good, they have to be great. Sunday night that was the case, with Davis opening the game strong and James shutting the door in the fourth with his play on both ends.

As the series wears on, it seems clear that the Lakers are going to do their best to combat the Rockets small-ball with their own small lineups, as Dwight Howard was a healthy scratch on Sunday and JaVale McGee played just eight minutes. That means a lot rides on Davis playing big and playing smart, which he did successfully in Game 2. There were some sloppy offensive possessions down the stretch that helped Houston stay in the game and the Lakers have to clean some things up with late game execution, but Game 2 saw their leaders step up in a big way and it seemed the rest followed.

How does each team settle in now?

In Game 1, the Rockets came out with an energy that the Lakers couldn’t match. L.A. turned the tables in Game 2 and were the ones that hit Houston first with an unbelievable opening run. The Rockets made a furious comeback in the third quarter but the effort just to claw back into a narrow two-point lead seemed to gas them out going to the fourth. Now that we’ve seen both teams throw big punches, this series figures to settle into a bit of a rhythm. For the Rockets, the question is twofold. First, it’s how do they stay intact when their three-point shooting is in a lull?

They’re a team that almost always has a run in them, but as we saw in Game 1, if they have to come back from 21 down, then even a ridiculous shooting performance like they had in the third is only enough to get ahead by a few for when the Lakers inevitably counter. We saw this play out in the OKC series as well, where the Thunder would just stay attached during the Rockets hot streak and then were able to grind out wins in close games. Houston’s going to have to win a game or two like that in this series, because LeBron almost always has a counter-run in him as he did to open the fourth.

The second for Houston is whether Russell Westbrook can avoid repeating his Game 2 performance. They already run a shortened rotation and when Russ minutes are as bad as they were on Sunday, they don’t have a lot of great options for replacing him on the floor. Eric Gordon seems to be in a great rhythm in this series and that bodes well for Houston and, theoretically, should take some of the pressure of of Westbrook. However, he still has to be a net positive when he’s on the floor even if he’s not sensational, because if not they just don’t have the bodies to make up for it.

For the Lakers, LeBron and Davis have to continue being great but that’s more than doable. It simply comes down to whether their “others” can help them weather the storm when Houston gets hot. The Rockets are capable of runs like they had in the third quarter every game, and if the Lakers don’t hit threes like they did in Game 2, Houston can really separate themselves. Kuzma, Morris, Green, and Caldwell-Pope have to be able to shoot it, and getting positive Rondo minutes is a huge boost (but Vogel has to be careful about leaning too much on him because, like Westbrook, he sinks the Lakers spacing when off the ball). It’s going to be interesting to see what adjustments come now, but I expect both teams to be settled in for Game 3 and a competitive series to be on our hands.