Three Bold Predictions for Lakers vs Rockets Game 3

The Los Angeles Lakers are up 2-0, but Houston Rockets is desperate for a win at home tonight, and these three things could happen in Game 3.

LeBron James | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers head to Houston for Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead, still without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The Rockets are coming back home knowing they have to win, and that changes everything tonight.

Doncic is out with a left hamstring strain and Reaves is listed as questionable with a left oblique strain. Kevin Durant is also questionable on the Houston side with a new left ankle sprain, separate from the right knee bruise that kept him out of Game 1.

The Rockets will be desperate in front of their home crowd. Expect them to load up on LeBron James all game, while also targeting Marcus Smart early, since he set the tone early in Game 2 and finished with 25 points and five threes. The easy looks the Lakers got in the first two games will not come as freely here.

Here are three bold predictions for Game 3.

LeBron James Nears a Triple-Double

LeBron James | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

James has carried this team through both games without his two best backcourt players. He put up 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in Game 2, and there is no reason to think he slows down on the road.

Playing in a loud Toyota Center, with Houston throwing everything at him, he tends to rise to exactly that kind of moment. A 25-point, near triple-double line on the road, without Doncic and Reaves, against a desperate team, that is as bold as it gets.

Luke Kennard Lights It Up Once Again

Luke Kennard | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kennard scored 27 in Game 1 and 23 in Game 2. Nobody expected either performance, but here we are. He is moving well off the ball, shooting with real confidence, and teams have not yet found a way to contain him.

Two big games in a row from him are tough to sustain, but nothing about this Lakers run has followed the script.

Deandre Ayton Crashes Glass & a Force Defensively

Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Ayton said ahead of Game 3 that the Lakers have challenged him to guard every position on the floor, from point guard to center. He called it a secret weapon and said his confidence is at an all-time high after putting in those reps in practice. For a guy who has had a complicated season, that is a significant thing to say out loud before a road playoff game.

He put up 19 points and 11 rebounds in Game 1, then went quiet in Game 2 with 6 and 5. Houston will lean on Alperen Sengun heavily if Durant is limited, and that is exactly where Ayton needs to step up. He has put himself on record now, and Game 3 is his chance to prove it was not just talk.

Reaves being listed as questionable is a small positive, though he is unlikely to suit up, and even if he does, expect limited minutes at best.

The Lakers have already shown they do not need him to win, and honestly, it is better if he sits this one out. A setback now could hurt him for the rest of the playoffs, and that is a risk not worth taking with a 2-0 lead.

Los Angeles takes Game 3, 105-99.

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