The Los Angeles Lakers are gonna need some big performances to take down the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and they got that in a big way in Game 1. Luke Kennard has stepped up in a big way ever since Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves went down due to injury, but he took it to another level on Saturday night.
Kennard led the Lakers with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range in the Lakers’ 107-98 victory over the Rockets. The performance was so amazing that big man Deandre Ayton could barely come up with words to describe it.
“I don’t know, he is the number one shooter in the NBA, so there’s not much to say,” Ayton said after the win. “But he’s doing it in the playoffs where it really counts. My word is speechless, to be honest. Shooting 5-for-5 in a playoff game as a Laker, it hits different.”
There is no denying that performances like this while wearing the purple and gold just come with a little extra attention and fanfare. And this Kennard performance was more than deserving as not only was it a playoff career-high for the guard, he also made Lakers’ history with his perfect night from deep.
The Lakers have been much more reliant on Kennard as a primary option and he has been up to the task, playing with much more aggression and confidence. Expecting 27 points from him every night is likely asking for too much, but his mindset is what this team needs to be successful.
Ayton was like many others in watching Kennard light up the scoreboard, but the big man also deserves praise for his performance as well. Ayton was actually second on the Lakers in scoring with 19 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds to help the team to victory. And if the Lakers are going to shock the basketball world and take down the Rockets, they will need more nights like this from both Ayton and Kennard.
Deandre Ayton says Lakers did what they were ‘supposed to do’ in Game 1 vs. Rockets
The Lakers are underdogs to the Rockets in this first-round series because of the injuries they are dealing with. But this team still has homecourt advantage in the series and Ayton believes they did what they were supposed to do in Game 1 by taking care of business at Crypto.com Arena.
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