NBA Playoffs: Lakers Steal Game 1 as Rockets Offense Collapses Without Kevin Durant

LOS ANGELES — Give me a minute, readers. I need to wake a few people up at the NBA. It’s an emergency. I need to ask for my MVP vote back.

Sorry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Kevin Durant … you the real MVP.

Los Angeles took Game 1 of its first-round series against Houston, 107–98. Down Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the Lakers cobbled together enough offense to win. Luke Kennard scored 27 points, going a perfect 5 of 5 from three-point range. LeBron James racked up 19 points and 13 assists. L.A. shot 60.6% from the floor and 52.6% from three, with all five starters finishing with double figures.

“We were really poised as a team,” said coach JJ Redick. “We had a great next play mentality. Wasn’t a perfect game. None of these games are going to be perfect. Got contributions from a lot of people in a lot of different ways and made enough winning plays.”

Said James, “It has to be that way. It has to be a collective group. I mean, when you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job and even do it a little bit more. Protect one another offensively and defensively. And I think we did that tonight.”

The Rockets? Bleh. Houston’s offense on Saturday was the embodiment of the vomit emoji. Hours before the game, Durant was ruled out with a knee injury. He bumped knees with a teammate during practice this week, Rockets coach Ime Udoka explained. Imaging didn’t reveal anything serious. Houston hoped he would be fine. He wasn’t. The knee wasn’t responding the way the team hoped, Udoka said. Durant would have to sit out.

In his absence Houston’s offense … stunk. The Rockets shot 37.6% from the floor. They connected on just 33.3% from three. The play-calling was unimaginative. The execution was worse. All-Star center Alperen Şengün was 6 of 19, with many of his misses coming from point-blank range. Reed Sheppard was 5 of 14 from three. The Lakers defense sagged so far off Amen Thompson you would have thought he was Mason Plumlee. Houston had 66 points through three quarters. It forced 20 turnovers, dominated the glass and took 27—27—more shots than the Lakers. And still lost.

Need a case for Durant’s value? You just got 48 minutes of it.

“Not our best in general offensively,” Udoka said. “And we can take advantage of some things that we didn’t do as well tonight. Got a little stagnant at times, hunting our own shots and everybody kind of fell victim to that.”

Durant’s injury has to be very real for him to sit out a playoff game. Durant is the ultimate hooper. He’s 37 and plays like he’s 27. He suited up for 78 games this season, averaged 26 points per game and shot 41.3% from three. He isn’t the engine powering Houston’s offense. He is Houston’s offense.

Asked what the team missed without Durant, Udoka said, “Efficiency and consistent scoring.”

“On a nightly basis, he shoots at a good high clip and doesn’t have too many nights like this struggling wise,” Udoka said. “And so he kind of calms you down, [you can] run certain sets through him, draw attention and kind of feed off him at times. But regardless if he’s back or not, if we shoot that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.”

This series won’t resume until Tuesday, giving Durant a little extra time to heal. But the Lakers have a huge opportunity here. A week ago the season looked finished. Dončić was in Europe getting treatment on a hamstring injury. Reaves was in L.A. but no closer to returning. Any hope the Lakers had of either returning meant the team would have to extend this first-round series. Maybe even get into the second round. Even against a flawed team like Houston, that seemed unlikely.

Lakers forward LeBron James drives to the basket against Rockets guard Josh Okogie. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Durant’s injury changes everything. Suddenly it’s the Lakers with the best player on the floor. Houston tried to be physical with James on Saturday. Josh Okogie got first crack, followed by Jae’Sean Tate, Tari Eason and Thompson. For 38-plus minutes they tried to push James around.

And James pushed back. He had eight assists in the first quarter. In the second, he deflected a pass and fired it off Thompson before falling out of bounds. He was 4 of 5 from the field in the fourth quarter, adding three rebounds and three assists.

“Just a fantastic overall game from him,” said Redick. “And he gave us all he had on the defensive end. I mean, he really exerted himself on both ends. That’s what the playoffs are.”

Indeed. And unpredictable. The Lakers are up 1–0, while Dončić and Reaves have more time to rest. Perhaps this success is fleeting. Maybe Durant will return on Tuesday and restore order to this series. But for one night, Los Angeles has life.

Now someone in the 201, pick up the phone. I need that ballot back.

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