LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Kevin Durant was ruled out of Houston’s playoff opener against the Los Angeles Lakers with a bruised right knee about 90 minutes before tipoff.
The rest of the Rockets were neither ready nor able to pick up the slack.
Houston is in an early postseason hole and the Lakers are feeling awfully good about their upset chances after on Saturday night.
Both teams were without their top scorer to begin , but only the Lakers responded to the challenge with the necessary determination and production. With Durant, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves 鈥� a combined 82.8 points per game 鈥� all watching in street clothes, Los Angeles surprisingly controlled Game 1.
While the Lakers got double-digit scoring from all five starters and 60.6% shooting overall, the Rockets didn’t have a 20-point scorer or anybody who could make more than 50% of his shots except reserve Tari Eason. Those results were even more disturbing because Houston grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and coach Ime Udoka thought his team got plenty of good looks.
鈥淲hoever (is) playing, we play with them,鈥� Rockets center Alperen Sengun said. “But we missed (Durant) for sure tonight, and hopefully we see him soon.鈥�
Sengun had 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting, while Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson got 17 points apiece on a combined 13 of 38 from the field. Sheppard went 5 for 14 on 3-point attempts, and his teammates combined to hit just six additional 3-pointers.
The Rockets seem confident Durant鈥檚 bruised right knee isn鈥檛 a long-term problem, although Udoka said Durant鈥檚 knee is 鈥渧ery tender. … Tough to bend in certain ways. Hit it in a very awkward spot, I suppose. Pain tolerance is one part, but (also) limited movement.鈥�
The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history collided with a teammate during practice on Wednesday, and he was added to the Rockets鈥� injury report on Friday. He led the Rockets with 26.0 points per game this season, his first in Houston.
Durant was a late scratch, while the Lakers have had more than two weeks to adjust to being without Doncic and Reaves, who both got hurt April 2 and are still out indefinitely.
That preparation time showed. Most notably, Luke Kennard continued to step up as a starter with a career playoff-high 27 points and 5-for-5 shooting on 3-pointers, providing more reason for the Lakers to be grateful for his midseason arrival in a trade with Atlanta.
鈥淪ince I’ve been here, we haven鈥檛 been really healthy a lot, so this just speaks on the guys in the locker room staying ready, being ready,鈥� Kennard said. 鈥淕uys stepping up in big moments, making big shots. I feel like everybody did that tonight.鈥�
Deandre Ayton delivered a confident 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Rui Hachimura also showed offensive aggression 鈥� an all-too-rare quality in the forward 鈥� while scoring 14 points. Veteran guard Marcus Smart added 15 points and eight assists, and 41-year-old LeBron James merely controlled the floor while racking up 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just our playoff mentality,鈥� Lakers coach JJ Redick said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 worry about who鈥檚 in or out of the lineup. It鈥檚 our game plan. It鈥檚 our standards. It鈥檚 how we play, and we鈥檝e built towards that. I thought our guys just responded well and met the moment. That鈥檚 the biggest thing. You鈥檝e got to meet the moment in every game, and (the Lakers) were able to do that. There鈥檚 a lot that you have to do (against) Kevin, and you just kind of scrap that and you move on to all the other stuff we worked on.鈥�
Durant鈥檚 absence and the Lakers鈥� performance in Game 1 have both suddenly provided significant credibility to the Lakers鈥� determination to hang with the Rockets long enough for Doncic and Reaves to have an opportunity to return to the postseason. This series schedule even contains an extra day off before three of the next four games.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,鈥� Redick said Friday. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what that is, but that鈥檚 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鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to do.鈥�
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