In a rock fight of a Game 2, the Lakers did just enough to go ahead 2-0 in the series with a 101-94 win over the Rockets.
Offense was a precious commodity throughout the contest, a change of pace from the opening game of the series. As the game went on, the defenses took over, especially in the closing minutes.
Fortunately, the Lakers held a lead throughout that stretch, doing just enough to keep Houston at a distance throughout the second half. The Rockets finished the game shooting 40.4% from the field
and 24.1% from three.
Jabari Smith Jr. got things going early with a triple for the Rockets. LeBron James responded with a steal and a layup on the other end as part of a back-and-forth battle to start.
Kevin Durant was back after missing Game 1 and had seven points. Marcus Smart was leading LA with nine points.
At the first timeout, the Rockets were up by two.
Out of the break, Amen Thompson threw down a dunk, but Smart responded with his third 3-pointer. The Lakers were shooting 61% from the field.
Luke Kennard began to heat up with seven points. At the 2:36 mark, it was a tie game.
Kennard continued to cook, draining a triple that put him in double figures with 10 points. LA ended the first quarter with a 9-0 run to take a seven-point lead.
Smart and Kennard combined for 24 points.
LeBron opened the second period with consecutive 3-pointers. Smith Jr. responded with a triple for the Rockets. Houston cut the lead down to eight for the Lakers, but Rui Hachimura knocked down a 3-pointer to put LA back up double-digits.
Smart, LeBron and Kennard were all in double-figures with 14, 12 and 10, respectively.
Deandre Ayton scored his first points of the half on a lob from Smart. Kennard and Smart then added a combined five more points to give Los Angeles a 15-point lead, forcing a Rockets timeout.
Houston responded in a big way with a 12-0 run to get back in the game. By the 2:15 mark, it was a one-point game.
Hachimura stopped some of the bleeding with a triple. The teams shot a string of free throws as the quarter wound down. At halftime, it was a three-point Lakers lead.
Smith Jr. scored on a dunk to start the third period, making it a one-point game. Smith Jr. then converted on a layup that put Houston up by one. Kennard responded with a 3-pointer to give LA the lead back.
Ayton and LeBron took the game over, scoring a combined seven points to help Los Angeles gain a cushion on their lead. Hachimura pitched in with his third triple of the game.
The Lakers were up by eight at the 6:32 mark.
With the fourth quarter nearing, LA was still up, having picked up its defense. Kennard connected with Hachimura for a dunk that gave the crowd a jolt of energy. Alperen Şengün scored four in a row for Houston.
Turnovers were an Achilles heel for Los Angeles as they had 11. At the end of the third, the purple and gold were up by seven.
Jaxson Hayes opened the final frame by converting on a three-point play. Thompson answered on the other end by converting on his own three-point play.
Houston was still within reach after scoring four straight. At the 7:40 mark, LA was up six.
Kennard scored again on a midrange jumper, pushing his point total to 21. Josh Okogie drained a triple for the Rockets. LeBron answered with a layup on the other end.
The playoff intensity was high as both teams were fighting through tight defenses. The Lakers were doing well defending KD, who struggled through the double teams.
Los Angeles was nursing a four-point lead when Hachimura knocked down a big-time midrange jumper.
After a basket from KD, both teams exchanged triples, making it a five-point lead for LA. Smart was fouled and converted on both, pushing the lead to seven with 1:51 left. Şengün then dunked on the other end.
LeBron responded with a monster two-handed dunk to put LA back up seven.
Şengün converted on the other end, but Houston did absolutely nothing else worthy of being talked about down the stretch as Kennard drained two free throws to seal the win.
Key Player Stats
LeBron finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Smart ended with 25 points, seven assists and five steals. Kennard had 23 points with six rebounds.
Hachimura pitched in with 13 points and five rebounds. Ayton scored six points with five rebounds. Hayes had a nice game off the bench, tallying six points and four rebounds while closing the game.
Game 3 will be on Friday against the Houston Rockets at 5:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
