The Los Angeles Lakers are a win away from sweeping the Houston Rockets and advancing to the second round of the playoffs — an outcome no one could have predicted when they started the series without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Marcus Smart — averaging 20.3 points, 8.3 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocks in the three wins against the Rockets — believes the injuries to Doncic and Reaves may have been a blessing in disguise, as they elevated the “confidence” of the rest of the roster.
“With two of our best players down, we gotta play desperate, we gotta be the most desperate team — and that’s how we’ve been playing,” Smart said after posting 21 points, 10 assists and five steals in Friday’s 112-108 OT win.
“And that’s how we’re winning, right? The chemistry has been built because of [the injuries],” Smart continued. “And you’re starting to see guys’ confidence go up.”
Lakers Win Without Luka Doncic
Further to Smart’s point, players like Luke Kennard, Smart and Hachimura have taken on a lot more offensive responsibility in the absence of the team’s two leading scorers, and other role players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Bronny James have received playing time they might not have received if Doncic and Reaves were in the lineup.
Through three games, LeBron James (25.3 points, 8.7 assists), Kennard (21.3 points, 3.7 assists) and Smart (20.3 points, 8.3 assists) have more than filled the void left by Doncic and Reaves with their playmaking and scoring.
James also echoed Smart’s sentiments after Friday’s win, noting that Doncic and Reaves’ injuries led the Lakers to play like a desperate team.
“The last week of the season, the last thing you would want or even want to imagine or think about is, s—, two of your best players going down with injuries and not being ready for the postseason,” James said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Lakers vs Rockets Game 4
“So it was a shift for all of us, it’s challenging for all of us … and we’re figuring it out together on the fly,” James said of playing without Doncic and Reaves.
The Lakers now have the luxury of possibly not needing Doncic or Reaves to advance to the second round, even though Reaves is expected to play in Sunday’s Game 4. James, though, has urged his teammates to maintain their intensity the rest of the series.
“We don’t have the luxury of being passive or being complacent,” James said.
“We don’t have the luxury to do that. Our whole mindset is we have to do everything it takes in that particular game and that particular moment in that particular possession in order for us to win basketball games, because we don’t have a long leash of error.”
Smart has urged his teammates to embrace a “killer” mentality and finish the Rockets.
“We got to be like a lion,” Smart said. “We got to have that killer instinct. We got them on the ground. We just got to finish them off and keep our foot on their neck.”
Lakers vs Rockets Game 4 tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Lakers Get ‘Confidence’ Verdict Amid Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves Injuries