Rockets' Offense Has Been Historically Bad vs. Lakers

That's not going to get it done against any team.

Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) defends Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) after a reoubnd during the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 Houston Rockets have been exhibit A of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. During the regular season, at least. 

We've seen them either come out flat at the onset and turn it on mid-game, like during their March loss against the Chicago Bulls, in which they trailed by 20+ after the opening tip and stormed back, flipping a switch before ultimately running out of time and losing. 

We also saw it during the Rockets' final victory against the Phoenix Suns, when they trailed 37-21 after the first quarter before storming back and snagging a victory. We've also seen the Rockets jump out to sizable leads from the start (and still lose, in some cases, especially against non-contending teams).

And then we've also seen an iteration of the Rockets that simply doesn't make shots throughout the entirety of the game. The last iteration is what's reared its ugly head during the Western Conference Quarterfinals round against the Los Angeles Lakers. 

With and without Kevin Durant. The Rockets rank dead last in the playoffs in outside shooting, at 29 percent (across both the Eastern and Western conferences).

They also rank second to last in field goal percentage, at 39 percent from the floor (ahead of only the eighth-seeded Suns). Houston also ranks second to last in the NBA in points scored, ahead of only the Suns once more.

Houston is averaging just 96 points per game (which wouldn't be that bad if this were the 90s or early 2000s). The Rockets haven't even bad able to surpass the 100 point mark.

Which is not only unfathomable, but also inexcusable for a team that has two offensive-leaning All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. Although Sengun hasn't played like an All-Star in this series.

Nor has Durant, to a lesser degree, with more turnovers than field goals (which feels crazy to type). Durant made seven shots in Game 2 and had nine turnovers.

This Rockets ball club has also found itself in the Lakers' record books, as they've posted the second-worst field goal percentage among any team that the Lakers have faced through the first two games.

I probably don't need to remind you that the Lakers have 78 years of historical data. Sure, the Lakers didn't make the playoffs in all 78 years but you get the point.

39 percent from the field isn't going to cut it, even if the Rockets were facing the Portland Trail Blazers, who were a play-in team. Time will tell whether or not the Rockets will be able to get it turned around.

But they also don't have alot of time to correct things and turn things around.