On Saturday night, the Houston Rockets lost their opening playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers, 107-98. Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Fred VanVleet, Austin Reaves, and Steven Adams were all out with injuries. In the NBA playoff series equivalent of racing hospital beds, one Rockets player has ideas on how to snag victories. To win a race, you’ve got to go faster.
Amen Thompson Thinks He Knows How Rockets Beat Lakers
The main story for Houston was the late scratch of Durant, who missed the game after sustaining a knee contusion during practice. If Durant did wind up missing the series, it would be a fitting conclusion to a Houston season, hobbled by injury before it even began. The uncertainty over Durant’s return obviously complicates Houston’s strategic process. The strategy of “hope KD bails them out” isn’t one they should rely on, though.
But it is the waterlogged offensive end on which Houston needs some serious bailing. Giving up 27 to Luka — sorry, Luke Kennard — certainly wasn’t ideal, but the Rockets shot just 37.6% from the field. The Rockets’ highest scorer shot under 33%. Despite his customary flair, Alperen Sengun went 6-of-19 for 19 points. Reed Sheppard tied as the Rockets’ second-highest scorer and went 6-of-20 for 17 points. Tied at 17, Amen Thompson didn’t shoot much better, going 7-of-18 from the field.
What Did Work For Houston?
The only Rocket who converted well from the field was Tari Eason. The free agency-bound wrecking ball shot 2-of-2 from three and 7-of-7 overall. He finished with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, also securing three steals in his 24 minutes off the bench.
What’s notable about Eason’s production, though, is that most of it came in the fourth quarter. Six of Eason’s seven made baskets were in the final period. Five were with less than six minutes left on the clock, facing a double-digit deficit. But there’s something else about Eason’s production. Something that is probably related to the game state, but which Houston should try to replicate while the game is still competitive. Most of his scoring was done in transition.
Thompson was adamant about what the Rockets needed to do in his post-game presser: play faster. It looks as though he may be on to something.
The Lakers-Rockets Stats in Transition
Overall, in Game 1, the Rockets scored 11 fastbreak points to the Lakers’ 4. That’s an 11.2% fast break point percentage. Their regular-season equivalent was just 12.2% and 21st in the league.
The Rockets shunned transition scoring all season. They had the fifth-lowest transition frequency in the NBA. That’s despite having the fourth-highest score frequency. Their lack of a true point guard on the roster showed up with the fifth-highest transition turnover frequency. However, during the season, they had Durant, the NBA’s fifth-leading all-time scorer.
It’s also usually a given that transition opportunities dry up in the playoffs. But the Lakers gave up the eighth-highest transition frequency in the league this season, the highest of any team that made the playoffs outright. Coincidentally, the Rockets were next.
In the Lakers’ defense, they held opponents to the seventh-lowest transition score frequency. Interestingly, it’s their ability to force turnovers rather than misses that keeps that score frequency low. That makes sense with multiple elite passers on the roster. Players like LeBron James and Luka Doncic are experts at reading kick-ahead passes and intercepting them.
Fast Forward to Next Game
Presumably, though not if he can help it, Doncic won’t be a factor for the Rockets. Even so, the Lakers’ preference to force turnovers in transition is a natural counter to Houston’s generally sloppy passing. But if Durant is also going to miss more games, then the regular-season stats for both teams will be of questionable value. As Thompson said, absent KD, the Rockets’ guards benefit from as high a pace of play as possible. Thompson will get easier forays to the rim, and Sheppard will get cleaner looks from the perimeter.
The Rockets-Lakers series will resume on Tuesday, still in Los Angeles. The Rockets should prioritize a faster pace against an older and less athletic roster. They won’t turn the series around with fadeaways and turnarounds. Instead, they’ve got to turn the pace up to eleven.
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