Rockets Played 'Out of Whack' Offensively in Game 1 vs Lakers

Will they be able to fix it?

Apr 10, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) warms up beore the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets lost the battle against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1. Houston came out flat without Kevin Durant, their superstar, who was ruled out a little over two hours before tip off.

Durant was given a questionable designation one day before the game, due to a knee contusion. The injury was suffered in practice on Wednesday, when Durant banged knees with a teammate.

The expectation was that Durant was going to play. Durant seemingly expected to play, as well.

We saw his frustration during his pre-game routine when he came to the realization that he wasn't going to be able to play. But the Rockets are loaded with young talent, acquired by way of the NBA Draft, during their rebuilding years. 

The Rockets were forced to pivot and their young players were expected to fill the void and be able to supplant Durant in a single postseason game. However, they weren't quite able to get the job done.

NBA legend and ESPN analyst Shaquille O'Neal explained Houston's conundrum.

"They played out of wack. They're not used to Reed Sheppard taking 20 shots, Amen Thompson taking 18 shots, so they’re doing something different. 

The gameplan is Kevin Durant has the ball, read and react and you play off after that. We're not used to Reed Sheppard taking 20 shots and going 6 out of 20."

O'Neal point has credence, as Thompson averaged 13.2 shots per contest during the regular season, while Sheppard averaged 11.5 shots during the 2025-26 regular season campaign. In Game 1, Sheppard went 6-of-20, as O'Neal mentioned, while Thompson went 7-of-18 from the field.

However, there was naturally going to have to be an uptick in shots elsewhere on the roster, as the team was playing without Durant, who takes 17.6 shots, which leads the team. This entire conversation would be dramatically different, if the Rockets won and if Thompson and/or Sheppard made more of their shots.

Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. both could have been aggressive, and especially in the case of Eason, who shot a perfect 100 percent from the field, albeit on just seven shots (he averages 10 shots per contest). The Rockets will face off against the Lakers again on Tuesday for Game 2, which will be played at 9:30 on Peacock and NBC.

It remains to be seen whether Durant will be back, or not, but even if he is, we should expect a limited version, as his knee contusion has affected his mobility and/or his movement with the injured knee.