The Los Angeles Lakers lead the Houston Rockets 2-0 in their first round playoff series, a moderate surprise given how shorthanded they are.
The Lakers have been without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but still managed to defend their home court thanks to contributions from everyone on the roster. From LeBron James on down, every player who’s seen the floor in Los Angeles’ locker room has helped the team win games but the challenge isn’t over as they now head to Houston for their first set of road games.
While the Lakers have to feel good about being up two games, Deandre Ayton said head coach JJ Redick and James are making sure the group doesn’t ease up.
“LeBron is making it very known not to get comfortable, and JJ as well. So, don’t get too complacent,” Ayton said after practice on Thursday. “This is the playoffs. Anything happens and we wanna handle business, just like how we handled business here. Keep everything solid and take the stuff we did in the lab over there to use it.”
James understands full well that a 2-0 lead in the playoffs isn’t a sure thing despite his record in such situations. Same thing goes for Redick, who had his fair share of postseason battles and knows that a series isn’t done until a team’s officially won four games.
As of now, Los Angeles looks to be in the driver’s seat as they’ve been able to suffocate Houston’s offense while matching their physicality on both ends of the floor. Ayton’s been a large part of the team’s success as he’s bought into rolling hard to the rim and protecting the paint.
James and Redick’s collective experience should help Los Angeles navigate these next couple of games, but they need to be prepared for Houston to make adjustments. The Lakers have an excellent opportunity to take a chokehold on the series if they manage to take Game 3, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond to a desperate Rockets team.
Deandre Ayton having fun playing defense for Lakers against Rockets
Ayton was named as an X-factor for the Lakers heading into the 2025-26 season and it was easy to see why as the team looked at its best when he was engaged, especially defensively.
Ayton’s effort ebbed and flowed, but he’s really turned it on since the playoffs began. In fact, Ayton said he’s actually having fun playing defense for Los Angeles against Houston.
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