The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. PT, when they take on the Houston Rockets in Game 1 to begin the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Lakers will lean heavily on LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and a cast of role players with Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique strain) both out indefinitely.
The 2025-26 Lakers are a fascinating group. They won 53 games and had the sixth-best record in the entire NBA. They dominated in crunch time. And yet, their 1.5 net rating ranked 14th in the league, and that’s because they often gave up early in games. On that topic, Smart delivered a warning to the Lakers ahead of the Rockets series.
“They’re going to try to come in and punk us,” Smart said after a recent practice. “And if you will allow that, you will be punked. And I don’t think we have any guys that are going to be punked on this team. So, we might not be the most athletic and strongest, but we’ve got to have the most heart.”
The Lakers got punked by the Rockets on Christmas Day. They lost 119-96 in a game that the Rockets had control of immediately. They won the first quarter by 12 points and never let go of that major advantage. However, the Lakers did turn around and defeat the Rockets twice on the road late in the season.
That is the exact mentality the Lakers need to have if they want to have a chance in this series. Even if they lose a quarter or a game significantly, the series isn’t over. Because, as Smart says, if the Lakers allow themselves to get punked, the Rockets will happily follow through and take advantage.
Marcus Smart discusses guarding Kevin Durant
One of the more intriguing matchups to watch for in this series will be when Smart is guarding Rockets star Kevin Durant. Smart is L.A.’s best perimeter defender, but Durant is one of the all-time great matchup nightmares in league history. Smart was honest in his assessment of the matchup.
“Brutal. It’s brutal, man. It’s brutal,” Smart said. “I mean, dude is one of the greatest to play this game and he moves like a guard with a big man’s body. It’s hard, it’s definitely tough. He’s gonna make it tough for us and we’re gonna make it tough for him.”
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