3 Takeaways From Lakers Going Up 2-0 Despite Kevin Durant Returning for Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers took Game 1 with less resistance. Kevin Durant was out with a knee contusion, the Rockets had no answers, and Los Angeles walked away with a 107-98 win on the back of Luke Kennard's 27 points and LeBron James doing LeBron James things.

Game 2 was going to be different as Durant was officially cleared to play with no minutes restriction, and suddenly the Lakers were staring down one of the most dangerous scorers in NBA history while still missing both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

They handled it anyway. Los Angeles gutted out a 101-94 win at Crypto.com Arena to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Compared to Game 1, this felt more controlled. Houston still made some runs and even pulled even at times, but the Lakers had an answer every time it mattered.

How the Los Angeles Lakers Contained Kevin Durant in Game 2

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James — LeBron James defends Kevin Durant | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Durant put up 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and on the surface, that looks okay. But looking closer, he turned the ball over nine times, the most on the Rockets, and finished minus-2 in 41 minutes. The Lakers were not just guarding him, they had a plan.

Every time Durant caught it in his spots, a second defender was already on the way. No clean mid-range looks, no easy pull-up threes. He still scored, because he is Kevin Durant, but the Lakers controlled how and when he got his. That is a big difference. And while the defense on Durant was the blueprint, none of it works without the guy commanding everything else on the floor.

LeBron James at 41 Is Still Running the Show

LeBron James put up 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on 8-of-20 shooting, going 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. He was not just scoring. He was dictating everything, the pace, the matchups, the flow of the game.

The most telling moment came in the first half when he went to the bench with the Lakers up 15. Houston immediately went on a 12-0 run. He came back, and things got controlled. At 41 years old, without Doncic, without Reaves, against a Rockets team that now had Durant healthy, LeBron carried this team through.

Marcus Smart Gave the Lakers a Spark, but Deandre Ayton Needs More

Smart came out firing. He finished with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, going 5-of-7 from three, with 7 assists and 5 steals. In the first quarter, when Houston was matching everything the Lakers threw at them, Smart was the one pushing back and keeping Los Angeles ahead.

The concern, though, is Deandre Ayton. He finished with just 6 points on 3-of-8 shooting in 27 minutes, posting a minus-5. He had a couple of dunks, but for a starting center expected to anchor the paint, it was not enough. The Rockets scored 54 points in the paint compared to the Lakers' 34. With the series shifting to Houston, Ayton needs to be a bigger presence down low.

The Lakers head to Toyota Center up 2-0, with a defensive blueprint that worked on Durant. But the bigger picture here is this: every win without Doncic and Reaves is another day of recovery for both of them. The Lakers are buying time, and right now, it is working.

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