Can Lakers beat the Thunder? What we learned from series vs. Rockets
Did the Lakers learn anything from their series against the Rockets they can use against the Thunder?
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back in a big way to avoid playing Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Houston Rockets . James had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Lakers beat the Rockets 98-78 on Friday, May 1. It was his league-record 157th playoff game with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Lakers played with a sense of urgency and energy that was missing from their home loss on Wednesday. “My mindset was to play with aggression,” James said during a postgame interview on Prime. “(The Rockets) changed the aggression level in Games 4 and 5.
… Most of our guys haven't been in a close-out game situation. … So I had to come out and set the tone for my team and just try to find a way to close this thing out. ” The Lakers will be asked to produce the same level of energy if they want to compete with the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder , in the second round.
The Lakers must continue to get strong contributions from players such as Rui Hachimura, who helped neutralize the Rockets and kept them from having any chance of battling back into the game with several big shots. Hachimura finished with 21 points and six rebounds. He shot 5-of-7 from the 3-point line.