Luke Kennard was brought to the Lakers to be a shooting specialist, but in Game 1 of Los Angeles’ series against the Rockets, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined, he stepped up as the hero of the game, Benjamin Royer writes for the Southern California News Group.
Kennard scored 27 points, his career playoff high, while hitting all five of his three-pointers, including the dagger that put the game away. His previous postseason high was 21 points, which he recorded in the 2019 playoffs.
“It’s one of the greatest feelings for sure, to have that — to know they’re (cheering) for you and your team, and you know you did something special to help this team win,” Kennard said.
Kennard added that the play-making role he has taken on with Doncic and Reaves out isn’t entirely unprecedented for him, noting that he occasionally took on similar responsibilities earlier in his career.
“I’ve been in situations like this, maybe not at this level, but I have played in the playoffs where I’ve been a play-maker, and had the ball in my hands once, but it was a long time ago,” he said. “And I think now, everything kind of leading up to now – I’ve been prepared for moments like this, and I’m going to, you know, hopefully take advantage of it and and try to help as much as I can to lift everybody up.”
We have more from the Lakers:
- With L.A.’s two offensive engines sidelined, LeBron James opened Game 1 by handing out eight assists in the first quarter, the most he has registered in any playoff quarter during his 23-year career, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes. James finished the game with 19 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds. “I got to do a little bit of everything,” said James. “It’s what the job requires. So being a triple threat, being able to rebound, being able to pass, being able to shoot and also defend and put myself in position where I can bring value to this ball club, bring value to this team throughout this series.”
- Bronny James played just four minutes in the nine-point victory and didn’t record a positive stat, but his presence was still historic, making him and LeBron the first father-son duo to play together in a playoff game, Law Murray writes for The Athletic. Bronny wasn’t a rotation regular for most of the season, but with a thin backcourt, head coach JJ Redick turned to him briefly for his energy and defense.
- There were two things Redick said the Lakers needed to do against the Rockets: not turn the ball over and rebound. They did neither of those things in Game 1, committing 20 turnovers and giving up 21 offensive rebounds, but still came away with the victory, The Athletic’s Dan Woike writes. Instead, they relied on keeping their composure and letting their lone star, James, organize the offense.