LOS ANGELES – The Lakers spent six months building and working toward the opportunity to make some noise in the playoffs.
And then Los Angeles' hopes and plans all collapsed during one quarter in Oklahoma City earlier this month.
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Luka Doncic made a move toward the Thunder's basket, but stopped suddenly and hopped gingerly off the floor with a strained hamstring. Austin Reaves had already been looking uncomfortable, periodically grabbing at the oblique muscles in his side, and he also left the court for good a few minutes later.
Just like that, a Lakers season that had been on a steady upward trajectory went into a nosedive that hasn't ended yet.
Los Angeles will be without its starting backcourt when it hosts the Houston Rockets in a first-round playoff opener Saturday night, and the fourth-seeded Lakers aren't saying when Doncic or Reaves could return to uniform — if at all.
Everybody realizes the Lakers could — and probably should — be cooked without their top two scorers, including the NBA scoring champion himself. Not even the ageless presence of LeBron James seems likely to be enough to boost the Lakers’ supporting cast over any of the Western Conference’s other five elite teams.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play us,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said last week, before the Rockets earned that honor.
Yet the Lakers aren't ready to give up just yet on what appeared to be a promising spring just two weeks ago. Until that disastrous night in Oklahoma City, they appeared to be peaking on an ideal schedule, winning 16 of their previous 18 games to surge into third place in the Western Conference.
After all, Los Angeles won 53 games this season with just 64 appearances by Doncic, 60 by James and only 51 by Reaves. This team got ample experience without its full roster this season, and it didn't slow the Lakers down — even if the current circumstances are worse than anything they've overcome to date.
“We're a little short-handed, and we know that,” guard Luke Kennard said. “But we've been preparing really well. Our focus is really high. ... We were able to get some looks and develop a different kind of chemistry out on the court. We've added some stuff in practice, and I think we've done a good job executing it in practice, and I think our preparation has been really good.”
Several players must step up to give the Lakers a chance, and Kennard is near the top of that list.
Kennard is making his fifth trip to the playoffs with his fourth team, but he hasn't started a postseason game since 2019 with Detroit. He stepped into a high-volume role for the Lakers after Doncic and Reaves went out, contributing as a primary ballhandler and playmaker in addition to his trademark 3-point shooting.
For playoff-tested veteran Marcus Smart, the Lakers' challenge comes down to one factor: “Willpower.”
“We’re competitors,” added Smart, who's back in the postseason for the first time since 2023 after making it in each of his nine seasons with Boston. “They’re going to try to come in and punk us, and if you will allow that, you will be punked. I don’t think we have any guys that are going to be punked on this team. We might not be the most athletic and the strongest, but we’ve got to have the most heart.”
Center Deandre Ayton and forward Rui Hachimura both know they must be more aggressive offensively to counter for the loss of Doncic, one of the highest-usage players in basketball. Jake LaRavia, whose playing time fluctuated significantly throughout the season, is likely to play a significant role on both ends.
Even Bronny James is likely to get his first significant playoff minutes, perhaps alongside his famous father.
No matter what Redick conjures up to take on the physical challenge posed by the Rockets, the Lakers don't seem to accept the notion that their season essentially ended on that night in Oklahoma City.
“It’s going to take everybody,” Smart said. “With that, it’s a different style of play, and I don't think it’s something that Houston has prepared for. To be fair, they haven’t seen us without those guys. When they’re playing us, they’ve always played us with them. They’ve always had a matchup and game plan for them, and it’ll be interesting to see how they play us without them.”
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