It’s widely regarded that a series doesn’t begin until a team loses at home. In that sense, the Lakers got the series started on Friday.
The purple and gold secured a win inside what looked to be a half-filled stadium for Houston’s playoff opener, taking advantage of late blunders from the Rockets to end regulation to grab a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Both Kevin Durant and Austin Reaves, game-time decisions, were ruled out before tip-off. It set the stage for both teams to rely on “the others” to fill
in for them.
LA, as they’ve done in recent weeks, leaned on the veteran Marcus Smart. He once again stepped right in to contribute everywhere on the floor and has entered legendary Lakers’ role player status in an improbably short time.
It’s no secret that without Reaves and Luka Dončić, the Lakers are in need of a massive uptick in on-ball creation. Smart has shouldered much of the burden and thrived, making all sorts of passes with timely shots in this series.
The playoffs consist of finding and exploiting matchups. Following just 11 minutes in Game 2, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka went back to young guard Reed Sheppard in a desperate search for offense. His reluctance to play the third overall pick in 2024 stems from defensive trust, where LA hunted him to no end, just as they did in Game 1.
No matter where Houston tried to hide him, Smart made sure to call his man over to involve him in the action.
In the first quarter, they tried to place him on Rui Hachimura. Watch below as Smart runs the action with Sheppard looking to “show” or “hedge”— disrupt the ball handler’s attack while recovering back to his man — but Smart cleverly drives forcing two to pick him up, leaving Hachimura wide open for a 3-pointer.
Smart connected on three different alley-oops. He’s become a force downhill, engaging the opposing big man before throwing it up to his teammate.
In an adjustment from Game 1, the Rockets had defenders go under his screen roll, looking to bait him into jump shots. But Smart ate up the space with his straight-line drives and found his bigs, as shown in the clip below.
After two excellent scoring games, the Rockets paid extra resources to slow down guard Luke Kennard. The Lakers simply shifted their offense to Smart and LeBron James, the players with the most playoff experience on the roster, for the majority of the second half.
Smart found LeBron on a pick-and-pop 3-pointer and a clutch lob late to pull the Lakers back within two points with under two minutes left.
At the end of the day, legacies and legends are made in crunch time.
A LeBron miss keeps LA down six with just under 30 seconds remaining. Smart, who seemingly was the only Laker still playing, stunts at Jabari Smith in the clip below and forces a game-changing steal. He immediately gets fouled on a 3-point attempt, knocking down all three free throws.
“Just make a play,” Smart said postgame. “My instincts, right? We knew that they were going to try to ice the game, right, and we needed to make a play. Just using my instincts. Jabari Smith, I think it was him who made the pass, I just kind of stunted to see what he does. Now, he’s in no man’s land and he threw a lofted pass for me to recover and I got it.
“As I looked up at the clock, I saw Tate running really fast and I’m like, ‘He’s probably not going to be able to stop in time.’ So I just pulled up right away and he ran right under me. It was a smart play. That’s part of being a vet and my vet savvy. Being in my league for 12 years, I picked up some tricks from some guys.”
That vet savvyness reared its head in overtime. He picked up the first points of the extra period with a corner 3-pointer. With just under a minute remaining and nursing a two-point lead, nobody boxes him out, as he crashes in and gets fouled on an offensive rebound.
He finished with 21 points, 10 assists, five steals, two blocks, and 2-4 from the 3-point line. Smart is no stranger to the playoffs as Game 3 on Friday was his 111th playoff game. His postseason legacy was not born here, but with all his previous games in Celtics green, it might as well be for Laker fans.
With the circumstances of the series, he’s quickly put himself in rarified air, leading the Lakers to their first potential sweep since 2010.
“When you’re sitting at home on your couch as a kid growing up, you’re watching the playoffs, this is what you dream of being involved in,” Smart said. “One of those games. Then, to not be in the playoffs the last 2-3 years for me, it just sucks. I got to watch some good basketball and it’s like, ‘Damn. I’m a competitor. I want to be out there playing, too.’ So, to be back out there, it’s a great feeling.”
You can follow Raj on X at @RajChipalu
