LOS ANGELES — Not only have brooms been shoved back into closets, but another flight to Houston has also been booked.
After being listed as a game-time decision for three straight matchups, Austin Reaves returned for the Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday while superstar Kevin Durant remained out, putting Alperen Şengün at the top of LA’s scouting report.
Şengün dissected the Lakers’ defensive game plan, burning their consistent doubles by finding cutters or shooters with a patient offensive approach, leading
Houston to a Game 5 win and shifting the entire feel of this series.
Houston’s All-Star came off two strong performances at home, where he put up 33 points in the overtime loss in Game 3, shooting an efficient 15-27 from the field and followed it up with 19 in their blowout rout of the Lakers in Game 4, drawing 13 free throws in the contest.
Instead of allowing any single coverage in the post, LA decided to send extra help on Wednesday and dared not only Şengün to make the right read, but Houston’s shooters to knock down their open shots.
The Rockets did both. It started early in the second quarter. Watch below as Jarred Vanderbilt completely leaves his man, Dorian Finney-Smith, in the corner to double up Şengün. A quick spin and a read from Şengün gets a wide open look that falls.
On the first possession of the third quarter, the Rockets posted Şengün up on the wing. LA zones up and flashes two defenders on him in the post. Houston patiently waits for the opening and finds Tari Eason cutting behind for the finish in the clip below.
In the few instances he got single coverage, the big man used his array of spin moves and soft touch to get shots like this one to go down.
Şengün finished with 14 points on 5-9 shooting and a series high of eight assists. LA did force him into five turnovers, but the big man finished a game-high plus-8 on the floor in just over 43 minutes.
“He made good reads,” Marcus Smart said postgame. “We forced him to make some reads and he made the right reads. We knew he would. He’s an All-Star caliber player and really good at what he does but we got to go to the drawing board and see what else we can do and throw different looks at him.”
LA doesn’t have very much time to reexamine the drawing board, as just one day of rest sits between both Game 6 and a potential Game 7. After a slow start to the series, Şengün is up to 22 points and five assists on 54% shooting from the field in the last three contests. Houston has a case to be up 3-2 if not for the late collapse in Game 3.
One option is to increase Deandre Ayton’s minutes, who finished a plus-2, and the only guy head coach J.J. Redick allows for single coverage on Şengün. Another is leaning into small ball and removing backup center Jaxson Hayes from the rotation just as Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has done with big man Clint Capela.
They need to decide quickly, because they could be facing a catastrophic Game 7 before they know it.
While Durant doesn’t seem likely to return in this series, a hungry and feisty Rockets team is growing in confidence and getting comfortable playing without their offensive star. They’ve reoriented around Şengün, and the Lakers will need answers or else their season could end much earlier than expected.
You can follow Raj on X at @RajChipalu
