Three Takeaways from the Rockets' Devastating Game 2 Loss to Lakers

The Houston Rockets looked to get back in their first round series of the NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers with the highly anticipated return of All-Star forward Kevin Durant, but even that was surprisingly not enough in a 101-94 loss in Game 2 in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

The Rockets are now down in the series 0-2 against all odds. This was a tough one for Houston given the fact Durant was supposed to propel them to the top in Game 2. The Rockets needed this one, but got outplayed by an undermanned Lakers squad. Five players were in double digits for Houston.

Here are three takeaways from Game 2.

An Intense First Quarter

Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) and forward Jake LaRavia (12) in the first 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

This was a particularly interesting first 12 minutes due to a multitude of factors. Obviously, Durant returning after his knee contusion was closely watched, as well as how the Rockets offense would look. Besides that, it was important to see how the Lakers would match up now.

Sengun seemed to be running the offense with pace at the start. The Rockets had good ball movement on the first possession as Smith Jr. knocked down a three. Thompson also made a shot right before the buzzer.

Durant hit his signature mid-range jumper as the Rockets went up 9-6. The Lakers heated up from three, but Durant was on fire. He scored seven straight points, including a pull-up three in transition.

Tari Eason came off the bench and instantly scored while Marcus Smart drilled another three. Durant looked good physically in terms of his burst and speed. He even got a steal and went all the way down the court and drew a foul.

The Lakers continue to shoot well thanks to Luke Kennard, but KD was doing his thing. The Rockets struggled with turnovers on offense but were strong on the offensive glass once again, including three offensive rebounds on one possession in the first.

The Lakers went on a 9-0 run to close the quarter. It was a disappointing finish to the period for Houston, but the good news was Durant was looking like his normal self. He started off great with 11 first-quarter points in 4/5 shooting from the field. The Lakers led 33-29 at the end of one.

The LA run extended to 15-0 thanks to a couple of LeBron James’ threes at the start of the second quarter.

Durant’s Minutes on the Floor

The Rockets offense just looked completely different and reliant on Durant, especially in the first half. His minutes were a crucial part of Houston’s success in the game.

When KD was on the floor, he provided the key scoring that was much needed. When the Rockets went on the key 14-0 run in the second quarter, it was led by defense but also Durant.

He made a mid-range shot followed by a floater plus the foul. He added five while Eason capped it off with a corner three.

Sengun also made a layup off a turnover. The Lakers had a stretch of four straight turnovers that powered the offense to some easy shots. It was a 15-5 overall run from down 49-36 to down 54-51 at half.

46 points out of the 51 scored in the first half by the Rockets were when Durant was on the floor. Durant was exceptional in the first half with 20 points on 6/7 shooting from the field and led from the front.

The Rockets still shot poorly in the first half at just 38 percent overall and 29 percent from three. Jabari Smith Jr. added 10 points in the first half, which included three triples. It was a completely different story in the second half as Durant only scored a total of three points. He also ended up with an incredibly high nine turnovers.

KD was 7/12 from the field while Alperen Sengun added 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Sengun was 9/20 and Smith Jr. was 7/16. Amen Thompson scored 16 points, five rebounds and nine assists.

Lakers Defense and Effort Troubled Rockets

Houston took the lead 55-54 thanks to Smith Jr. at the start of the second half. The Rockets defense was strong out of the gate and got points off the forced turnovers.

The Lakers once again took a solid lead of nine points. Sengun slowly started to get going toward the end of the third, but he was not consistent at all.

It was a back-and-forth fourth quarter, but the Lakers took a 10-point lead. The Rockets once again had the defense lead to offense. It was just too inconsistent scoring from Houston at times.

The Lakers defense continued to cause issues for the Rockets, especially in the double team on Durant. LA played tough and sticky defense, with constantly having bodies on KD and Sengun. That forced bad shots and turnovers. The Rockets once again had a poor shooting performance and shot 40 percent overall and just 24 percent (7/29) from three.

The Rockets did out rebound the Lakers once again, but the difference was only five. Houston did have 20 more paint points than LA, but it didn't matter due to Lakers making six more 3-pointers and going 13/28 (46 percent) from downtown.

That was the reason why the Rockets just couldn’t cut the deficit further. It just seemed too much for Houston on offense. Bad and desperate shot selection highlighted the period. Even when the lead was cut to three, the Rockets could not get that run to break through.

Given the Rockets have already faced the Lakers defense before, this was a tough showing for Houston. On the other hand, the Rockets defense was also quite inconsistent and left many shooters open.

Lebron James scored 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Smart added 25 and Kennard made 23. The Rockets now face an absolute must win on Friday night at home for Game 3.

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