There was little faith amongst NBA experts that the Lakers could do much of anything against the Rockets. With no Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves to start the postseason, LA had a ton of offensive production unavailable.
However, their absence creates opportunities for others, and Luke Kennard got ther start in Game 1 and brought his NBA-best 3-point shooting percentage to the playoffs.
The LA crowd went berserk for Kennard as he was hotter than fish grease in this opening round game. He went 9-13 from
the field, a perfect 5-5 from deep and scored a career playoff-best 27 points.
Thanks to his efforts, the Lakers defeated the Rockets 107-98.
Kennard not only brought elite offensive play but was also a showman in his moment under the sun in Southern California. In the fourth, he hit back-to-back threes, roaring like a lion on his first and got a patented Mike Breen “bang” call on his second as an unavailable Kevin Durant watched from the bench.
After the win and his best game as a Laker, Kennard talked about what this moment meant to him.
“It’s definitely a special moment,” Kennard said. “I’ve been in the NBA for nine years. I’ve had some big plays, big games, but this is up there for sure. Like it, it means a lot. It builds confidence going into the next game. Like I said, to do it, especially at a place like this playing for the Lakers on the biggest stage in basketball, like it means a lot to me and what I’ve done. Just credit to the work I’ve put in and how I’ve prepared leading up to this. Again, it builds confidence going to the next one and hopefully, we can continue to be on the right path.”
Winning Game 1 and protecting home court was incredibly important for the Lakers and they got it done with all of their starters stepping up. Every Lakers starter was in double figures, and four shot above 50% from the field. The Lakers weren’t able to win the rebounding battle as they’d hoped, but thanks to their 61% shooting, they won this first contest.
Deandre Ayton was on the floor with Kennard for 29 of his 38 minutes on Saturday night and was at a loss of words for how the guard produced.
“He is the number one shooter in the NBA so there’s not much to say, but he’s doing it in the playoffs where it really counts,” Ayton said. “My word is speechless, to be honest. Five for five [from three] in a playoff game as a Laker, yeah, it hits different.”
It was just one game, and the Rockets were certainly surprised when their superstar, KD, was a late scratch, but LA found a way to win and that’s all that matters.
Kennard won’t always be this incredible throughout the series, but he has it in him and brought it out when it was needed most.
As long as he stays aggressive, takes his shot and remains willing to embrace his defensive challenges, he is giving the Lakers a chance to extend their postseason run so that Luka and Austin can return.
And in Game 1, he did even more than that, bringing LA one win closer to their first playoff series victory since 2023.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
