 | CONNELL GRANGE SUPPLY WHERE THE CUSTOMER IS STILL THE COMPANY |
|
Printable Page
04/22 01:23 CDT LeBron scores 28, leads short-handed Lakers past Durant's
Rockets again 101-94 for 2-0 series lead
LeBron scores 28, leads short-handed Lakers past Durant's Rockets again 101-94
for 2-0 series lead
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- LeBron James had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven
assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Houston Rockets
for a 101-94 victory Tuesday night and a stunning 2-0 lead in their first-round
playoff series.
Marcus Smart had 25 points with five 3-pointers and seven assists for the
Lakers, who have twice overcome the absences of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
with a comprehensive team effort led by the 41-year-old James. Los Angeles did
it in Game 2 despite the return of Kevin Durant, who scored just three of his
23 points in the second half against the Lakers' tenacious defense.
"We executed the game plan offensively and defensively, shored up some of our
mistakes from Game 1, and just got into a dogfight," James said. "When we have
two big guns out like we have, we've all got to pick up our play, and that's
all it's about. We're all just trying to make contributions on offense and
seize the opportunity."
Luke Kennard scored 23 points for Los Angeles, which nursed a small lead
throughout the fourth quarter of Game 2. Smart found James streaking down the
lane for a theatrical two-handed dunk with 55 seconds left, and Kennard added
two late free throws to ice it.
Game 3 is Friday in Houston.
Alperen Sengun had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who
again struggled offensively even with Durant making his Houston playoff debut.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 18 points and Amen Thompson had 16, but the Rockets
made only 40.4% of their shots and managed just seven 3-pointers.
Three days after he missed the series opener with a right knee bruise, Durant
took only 12 shots and had nine turnovers to begin his fourth career playoff
matchup against James. The superstars previously met in the NBA Finals in 2012,
2017 and 2018.
"They started doubling me from possession one," Durant said. "I've got to do
better and not put my teammates in bad positions when I'm swinging the ball.
... We're just not making shots, to be honest. We're not shooting the ball
well. We're missing a lot of layups. I just think that's the difference in the
game. They're making shots. Smart was the guy that knocked down shots for them
today. Kennard, too."
Durant blocked Kennard's shot on the first possession of Game 2, but then got
in early foul trouble while the Lakers again streaked to a large first-half
lead.
The Lakers are getting exceptional postseason play from Smart, the longtime
Celtics guard who joined Los Angeles this season. Although he missed much of
the regular-season stretch run due to injury, Smart has immediately added
toughness and playmaking acumen to the Lakers' supporting cast.
"He just had a killer game tonight," Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Smart. "He
did a great job defensively. He made shots. He's an unbelievable player."
Both Smart and Kennard went 8 for 13 from the field, combining for eight
3-pointers..
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
