
Knaak's late strike edges Man City closer to WSL title
Knaak's late goal secures victory for Man City, edging them closer to the WSL title.
Deandre Ayton's strong performance helped the Lakers defeat the Rockets in the NBA playoffs. Marcus Smart praised Ayton for his defensive impact during the series.
It was thought that the Los Angeles Lakers had little, if any, chance of beating the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. If they were to have any chance of doing so, Deandre Ayton would have to play some of the best basketball of his life against two-time All-Star Alperen Sengun.
At times during the regular season, Ayton was scapegoated by fans and even the media because his scoring and field-goal attempts per game fell to career lows. But against Houston, while he wasn't putting up big scoring numbers, he pounded the boards hard and played physical defense on Sengun. He was a major reason the Lakers got past Houston in six games.
Veteran guard Marcus Smart, who himself made a sizable impact on the defensive end, gave Ayton some massive praise after L.A.'s 98-78 Game 6 victory on Friday, per Lakers Nation.
“For me, it’s DA,” Smart said about the difference in the series. “He played his ass off tonight, excuse my language. But he was locked in from the start to the finish. He kept his composure and he really set the tone for us on the defense end and it allowed me to do what I do and everybody else to kind of galvanize and come together and do our thing.”
Ayton was seen as a disappointment during the regular season, but Smart said that he promised he would step up during the playoffs, which is exactly what he has done so far.
Deandre Ayton played a crucial role in the Lakers' victory over the Rockets, focusing on defense and rebounding rather than scoring.
Marcus Smart praised Ayton for being locked in and setting the defensive tone, which allowed the team to perform better.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets in six games during the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Ayton faced criticism from fans and media due to his scoring and field-goal attempts falling to career lows during the regular season.

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“He’s been saying it all year, just wait until I get to the playoffs,” Smart said. “It’s a different side of him that fans haven’t seen that we expect, that we know he can give and he knows it. He’s ready. He’s been locked in from the start and that’s what we’ve asked from everybody.
“But to have him being able to step up one-on-one, it allows us to fan out to their shooters. He’s huge. I have nothing more to say. I could sit here all day and talk about DA. I love him, I’m proud of him and I’m proud to see that he’s finally getting that confidence that he’s been looking for and playing very well for us.”
Per Sports Illustrated, Austin Reaves told the media how well a job Ayton did defensively against Sengun, who didn't have his usual impact in this series.
“I went up to him right after the game and told him he was one of the biggest factors of us winning tonight, his physicality, guarding Sengun,” Reaves said of Ayton’s performance in Game 6. “The way he rebounded the ball offensively, defensively. Sixteen rebounds is a big number. Just his presence and his physicality and the way that he can guard in the post one-on-one, and then if we're getting hurt with something else, he can switch one through five. Just his versatility.”
In all, Ayton averaged 11.8 points on 60.4% field-goal shooting and 10.8 rebounds a game versus Houston. More than anything, Los Angeles has needed him to defend and rebound at a high level, and he did exactly that.
Now he will need to continue his fine play against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two impactful big men in Isaiah Hartenstein and All-Star Chet Holmgren. Game 1 will take place on Tuesday, and while Oklahoma City is heavily favored, L.A. will look to pull off another upset.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Marcus Smart, Austin Reaves praise Deandre Ayton's performance