Houston Rockets struggled with shooting in Game 2, losing 101-94 to the Lakers despite Kevin Durant's return from injury. The loss puts the Rockets down 2-0 in the playoff series.
Key points
Houston Rockets lost 101-94 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kevin Durant returned from a knee injury for Game 2.
Rockets are down 2-0 in the playoff series.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored a three-pointer in the game.
Houston struggled with shooting throughout the match.
Houston RocketsLos Angeles LakersKevin DurantJabari Smith Jr.
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Getty Images
LOS ANGELES -- Less than 30 seconds into Game 2 on Tuesday, Rockets star Kevin Durant made an impact.
Just over 72 hours after being ruled out for Game 1 against the Lakers due to a knee injury suffered in practice, Durant blocked Luke Kennard's shot attempt on the Lakers' opening offensive possession. On the other end of the floor, Houston's first series ended with a Jabari Smith Jr. three-pointer.
Moments like that turned out to be few and far between, though. Even with Durant back in the fold, the story of the game was yet another lackluster shooting night by Houston during its 101-94 loss to the Lakers to go down 2-0 in the series.
The Rockets outrebounded the Lakers (42-37), won the points in the paint battle (54-34), and scored more second-chance points (21-17). It did not matter because the Lakers were the more efficient shooting team for the second consecutive game.
"We are just not making shots," Durant said. "We aren't shooting the ball well. You getting good looks. We miss a lot of layups. That's the difference in this game. They are making shots."
L.A. knocked down nearly twice as many 3-pointers as Houston. The Rockets took 27 more field goal attempts than the Lakers in the opening game of the series and 17 more in the second game. The difference? The quality of the Lakers' field goal attempts outweighed the quantity of the looks Houston was getting on its first shot or on second-chance opportunities.
"They are daring us to shoot," Durant said. "They're daring us to make plays. From the first possession, I got the ball at the top of the key. They feel confident in that scheme. It's on us make them pay for it."
After Durant's strong first quarter -- where he scored 11 points and shot 4 of 5 from the floor while playing all 12 minutes -- everything changed. Durant scored just 12 points total after the first quarter. Only three of those points came after halftime.
Q&A
Why did the Houston Rockets lose to the Lakers in Game 2?
The Houston Rockets lost to the Lakers due to another poor shooting performance, despite Kevin Durant's return.
What impact did Kevin Durant have in Game 2 against the Lakers?
Kevin Durant made an early impact by blocking a shot, but overall, his presence did not prevent the Rockets from losing.
What is the current playoff series status between the Rockets and Lakers?
The Lakers lead the playoff series 2-0 after winning Game 2 against the Rockets.
How did Jabari Smith perform in Game 2 against the Lakers?
Jabari Smith Jr. scored a three-pointer for the Rockets, but the team's overall shooting performance was disappointing.
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Durant's struggles after the first quarter
Durant's night
Minutes
Points
Field goal attempts
Turnovers
First quarter
12
11
4/5
3
Rest of the game
29
12
3/7
6
The Lakers' game plan, as they had done in previous matchups against a Durant-led Rockets team, was to send double teams his way and force the ball out of his hands.
It worked.
Durant turned the ball over nine times, which tied his playoff career high.
"I have to keep the ball in my hands," Durant said. "Maybe shoot over those doubles and just go grab rebounds. For the most part, I have to shoot with confidence."
Durant has now lost seven consecutive playoff games, with his last win coming against the Nuggets in 2023 when he was on the Suns.
Déjà vu from Game 1?
Game 2 looked awfully similar to Houston's first game of the series against the Lakers. The Rockets won the game in almost every aspect, except what actually matters: shot-making.
"They feel confident in us not making shots," Durant said. "It's that simple. We dominated every other aspect of the game, but they dominated in the shotmaking department. We've got to be better."
With Durant playing all 12 minutes in the first quarter, Houston got off to a strong start. The Rockets shot 11 of 25 (44%) from the floor in the opening period, with Durant knocking down four of those field goals. It's not a coincidence that Houston's best shooting quarter came when Durant was aggressive in hunting his shot.
After the first quarter, the Lakers were able to slow down Durant by sending double teams his way, making Houston's offense stagnate and predictable. Durant went nearly 24 minutes of game time between making a field goal late in the first half and recording his final field goal of the game with 2:51 remaining in regulation.
Five different Rockets players, including Durant, finished with at least 10 points. The highest scorer outside of the future Hall of Famer was Alperen Şengün, who finished with 20 points on 9 of 20 shooting. That shooting performance was slightly better than Game 1, when he shot 6 of 19 from the floor.
Still, a performance like that won't cut it in this series -- even against a shorthanded Lakers squad missing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
[NBA playoff winners and losers: Lakers organization shines on every level, Spurs stunned after Wemby injury
"I definitely need to be aggressive when I get the ball in the middle," Şengün said. "I'm just missing so many shots. I need to get back to who I am and dominate the paint when I get the ball and help KD a little bit and make my teammates better."
The lineup combination of Durant, Şengün, Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Smith did work in the second quarter. When Houston went down by as many as 15 points in the first half, that lineup generated a quick 9-0 run to get the Rockets back in the game.
Sheppard, who started Game 1 in Durant's place, didn't play much outside of that stretch. The former No. 3 overall pick logged just 11 minutes, including just four after halftime. Sheppard knocked down nearly half (five) of Houston's 3-pointers in Game 1, but the decision to go away from Sheppard was because Rockets coach Ime Udoka wanted to go small.
"I think we were guarding well enough with the unit we had in," Udoka said. "We went small and switched a lot of the actions. So just stay with that. ... we just didn't score."
The Rockets find themselves in an uncomfortable position returning to Houston. Facing a 2-0 deficit, Houston will have to win four of the next five games to avoid losing in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
"Winning solves everything," Udoka said. "That's our focus. Go home and get Game 3."
