Across the regular season, the crowd at Lakers games does not rank among the best in the league.
The lion’s share of the blame falls on ownership for pricing out the common, diehard fans and replacing them with fans who too often view the game as a status symbol rather than a chance to root on a team they’re a fan of. LA is still capable of drawing crowds that generate fervor, especially in the playoffs.
Saturday was a prime example. With the team squarely viewed as an underdog, the fans got behind
the underdog Lakers and created a great environment. I would still say they need to put on the damn shirts given out to make the atmosphere even better, but I’ll settle for them creating a real homecourt advantage on Saturday.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
LeBron James
38 minutes, 19 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 9-15 FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-2 FT, +11
From the opening tip, LeBron was locked in. His eight assists in the first quarter and 10 assists in the first half both were career highs. He wasn’t the highest scorer, but he absolutely controlled this game from start to finish for the Lakers.
Grade: A
Rui Hachimura
42 minutes, 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 6-10 FG, 2-4 3PT, +7
This was a bit of an adventurous one for Rui. He had a couple rough moments, including late in the first half. But he also had some very timely buckets, including a three in the third quarter and a contested pull-up midrange jumper early in the fourth quarter.
His 42 minutes probably aren’t a big surprise. Considering how much size the Rockets have and the role LeBron is playing, he’s going to need to play big minutes.
Grade: B+
Deandre Ayton
35 minutes, 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-10 FG, 3-3 FT, +7
What a fantastic game for Ayton and, hopefully, a real tone-setter for him this series. The Lakers need him to win this series and they got a great game from him on their biggest stage yet.
They need him to do it many more times to win and stringing together strong performances hasn’t always been easy for him, but it really feels like he’s a good space right now.
Grade: A
Marcus Smart
34 minutes, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls, 5-12 FG, 1-5 3PT, 4-8 FT, -5
Boy, what an experience Marcus Smart can be. He certainly had his fingerprints all over this game, both negatively and positively. He led the team in free throw attempts and got to the rim repeatedly. He also had some incredibly bad turnovers.
Multiple times, he rushed the ball upcourt either on a fastbreak where he didn’t have numbers or in early transition. He turned the ball over in both situations.
But he also is one of the most reliable ball handlers the team has right now. They ran plenty of two-man game with him and LeBron and Houston is going to play off of him and force him to make them pay from deep. He did not on Saturday. If he can have a game where he knocks down multiple 3-pointers, it could pay huge dividends in a later game this series.
Grade: B+
Luke Kennard
38 minutes, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 9-13 FG, 5-5 3PT, 4-6 FT, +7
What a night. In one game, Kennard did more for the Lakers than Gabe Vincent, the man he was traded for, did across multiple postseasons.
Coming into the series, the Lakers knew they needed Kennard. The Rockets knew the Lakers needed Kennard. And yet, no one could stop him. It’s hard to overstate just how impressive he was against some top-tier defenders. To have a career night in the context of being a top option offensively after years of being a role player is incredible.
Grade: A+
Jake LaRavia
18 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, 4-4 FT, +9
Much as the Lakers need Rui to play big minutes, they’re going to need LaRavia if for no other reason than to be a ballhandler at times. At times, he had Reed Sheppard on him and was able to initiate the team’s offense.
It isn’t always pretty and there were moments he turned the ball over, but the Lakers are down to about their fifth and sixth options for ballhandlers at times in this series, so it’s not going to be pretty.
Grade: C+
Jarred Vanderbilt
18 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 5 fouls, 1-2 FG, 1-2 3PT, +4
Vanderbilt could have a decent-sized role in this series because of his defense, but his minutes are going to rely on him being able to do enough offensively to stay on the floor. He hit a corner three in the first quarter that was the exact type of shot the Rockets are going to give him.
When he isn’t spotting up in the corner, he’s a bit lost and was getting in the way. The Lakers either need to find more creative ways to use him or he’s going to need to knock down threes.
Grade: B
Jaxson Hayes
13 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 1-1 FG, 2-3 FT, +2
Well, this was bad. That first shift from Hayes was straight out of the 2025 playoffs against the Wolves. He was biting on pump fakes from Şengün at the 3-point line and playing really undisciplined. They got away with it because Ayton was great, but he has to be better.
Grade: F
Bronny James
It wasn’t a terrible first shift from Bronny, but it wasn’t great.
JJ Redick
What a game from Redick, who pushed all the right buttons and got lots of little things right.
He had a couple of quick timeouts that stopped the Rockets’ momentum before it started, one coming in the first quarter and one in the fourth after a Tari Eason three. He also got LeBron in the game for the final offensive possession of the first quarter to try to steal a bucket.
Big picture, though, the Lakers were moving all around the court and creating quality, sustainable offense against a great defense.
Most importantly, he played more than five players in the second half.
Grade: A
Saturday’s DNPs: Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith Jr., Adou Thiero
Saturday’s inactives: Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
