{"id":193814,"date":"2026-05-02T14:20:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=193814"},"modified":"2026-05-02T14:20:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:20:02","slug":"locked-in-deandre-ayton-vital-lakers-thunder-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/02\/locked-in-deandre-ayton-vital-lakers-thunder-series\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Locked In’ Ayton Vital for Lakers-Thunder Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers emphasized defense and rebounding ahead of their first-round duel with the Houston Rockets. On Friday night\u2014in a culmination of his last three games\u2014<\/span>Deandre Ayton<\/span><\/a> epitomized LA\u2019s efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 7-footer dominated the glass in <\/span>Game 6<\/span><\/a>, grabbing 16 rebounds to counteract a quiet seven-point showing. As the Lakers head into the second round against the defending champion Thunder, it seems <\/span>LeBron James<\/span><\/a> won\u2019t be the only one required to set the tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Locked In’ Deandre Ayton Vital for Lakers’ Second Round Hopes<\/h2>\n

\u201cGet Every Damn Rebound\u201d<\/h3>\n

The eighth-year big man was responsible for nearly a third of LA\u201ds 54 rebounds Friday night, displaying aggression and activity that wasn\u2019t always present in the regular season. After the Lakers\u2019 win, Ayton <\/span>outlined his mentality<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to match their physicality in a way where it\u2019s contagious to your teammates as well. I just tried to play as I am, the biggest dude on the court, and just go and get every damn rebound. \u2026 When there were switches, I took advantage of the glass, and when I\u2019m in pick and roll, I had position to box out and grab an O-board as well. It was just things I was really picking out throughout the series of where I could really affect the game if I couldn\u2019t score.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ayton\u2019s success beyond scoring was evident in the back half of the series. Through Games 4, 5 and 6, he averaged<\/a> <\/span>14.7 points, 14.3 rebounds<\/span> and one block on 62.5% shooting.<\/span><\/p>\n

His defense on two-time All-Star <\/span>Alperen Sengun<\/span><\/a> was just as impressive. Throughout the series, <\/span>Ayton held Sengun to 13-35 shooting<\/span><\/a> from the field (37%), forcing a 20-point-per-game scorer into botched layups or awkward turnaround jumpers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cJJ really challenged me about guarding Sengun one-on-one \u2026 We just wanted to go back on how we guarded them if KD were out there. Guard them straight up and I took the challenge to my chin. Just putting the team on my back and them trusting me\u201d – Ayton on his defense pic.twitter.com\/rlsGUhnl8W<\/a><\/p>\n

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n