Marcus Smart Pinpoints One Thing Fueling Lakers’ Playoff Success vs. Rockets

Coming into the first-round playoff series against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers were underdogs, with the consensus being that JJ Redick’s team could not beat Ime Udoka’s gritty squad without stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

After the first two games of the series, the narrative has changed drastically, with the Lakers sporting a 2-0 lead heading to Houston for the next two games at the Toyota Center.

The Lakers have far exceeded expectations, with LeBron James turning back the clock once again, and most notably, the team’s role players filling the void left by Doncic and Reaves.

Marcus Smart Emphasizes ‘Trust’ in Game Plan & Lakers Teammates

One player who came through in a big way in Game 2 on both ends of the basketball floor against the Rockets was one-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart.

The veteran guard made an impact immediately, diving on the floor for loose balls while also being a force from beyond the arc, finishing with an impressive stat line of 25 points, seven assists, five steals, two rebounds and a block. He also hit five of his seven attempts from deep.

After the Lakers took a 2-0 lead over the Rockets, the 32-year-old spoke with the media and revealed that the trust factor between him and his teammates has been the difference in the series.

“Just continue to trust our game plan,” Smart said. “We had a game plan that we wanted to implement. A lot of times, when that game plan, things start to get a little tough for you, you start to run away from it, right?

“Just to stay composed and just stick with it. And it will work out in our favor, and that's what we did tonight.”

There’s no doubt the Lakers followed the game plan in Game 2, as they were able to keep the Rockets on their heels, even with Durant returning to the floor after his Game 1 absence due to a deep bruise in his right patellar tendon.

Outside of a game-high nine turnovers, Durant looked like he was moving well and not far from his usual form, but Smart and company knew how to attack him on Tuesday night.

“KD is a special talent,” Smart said of the Rockets star. “And we're doing different packages at him. And to be able to do that on the fly is tough, especially against a team that crashes the way they crash and the pace that they play with.”

Ultimately, the Lakers’ success has come down to one thing without Doncic and Reaves leading the way, it’s the trust factor.

“We trust one another,” Smart said. “The word is ‘elevate’ for us. And that's how we've been trying to elevate our play on both ends.”

Now the series shifts to Houston for the next two games, which will be crucial to who advances to the second round, with the Rockets having a chance to get back into this series at home.

If the Lakers can continue to trust one another and stick to the game plan, the storied franchise might very well be headed to the second round of the NBA playoffs, where they'd face the winner of the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns.

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