Lakers-Rockets Notes: LeBron, Ayton, Reaves, Durant, Doncic, Sengun
The Lakers had a chance on Sunday night to become the first team to wrap up a playoff series, but the Rockets avoided a sweep with a 115-96 win on their home court. The game featured an uncharacteristically bad performance from LeBron James, who finished with eight turnovers and 10 points while shooting 2-of-9 from the field, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James took responsibility for the loss, telling reporters, “It started with me, obviously. My turnovers were unacceptable.”
L.A. lost starting center Deandre Ayton when he was assessed a flagrant foul 2 for hitting Alperen Sengun in the side of the head with his forearm with 5:41 left in the third quarter. It was originally ruled a common foul before being upgraded following a video review, and McMenamin notes that players from both teams disagreed with the decision.
“We both are sweaty guys,” Ayton explained. “[My arm] just slipped off his shoulder. … I’m not no guy who is a dirty player or who plays like that.”
“I don’t want to make the officials crazy, but I mean, I didn’t expect them to eject him to be honest,” Sengun said. “I think it was a little bit soft. … I guess it is what it is, they called it. I’m glad they called it. So, we go from there.”
The game became heated from there with five more technicals being called – three on the Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero and two on the Rockets’ Josh Okogie and Aaron Holiday. Thiero and Holiday were both ejected with 1:11 left to play for an ongoing verbal exchange. The trash talk continued after the final buzzer, with several Lakers telling McMenamin that Rockets wing Jae’Sean Tate taunted them and challenged Kleber to a fight.
There’s more on the series:
- Game 5 is set for Wednesday night, and the series could be determined by which stars are able to return. L.A.’s Austin Reaves was listed as questionable for the second straight game while recovering from a Grade 2 left oblique strain, McMenamin adds, but wasn’t used on Sunday. Houston’s Kevin Durant missed his third game of the series, and the second with a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle. Coach Ime Udoka said there’s still a chance that Durant could return at some point in the series, per Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- In a pregame session with reporters, Lakers coach JJ Redick said Luka Doncic is still in the early stages of working his way back from a left hamstring strain, relays Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “He just continues to do some stuff on the court,” Redick said. “He was able to move today a little bit on the court. Most of the stuff has been standstill. He’s progressing. No update on any timeline or anything like that.”
- With the Rockets in a 3-0 hole, Sengun provided some inspiration with a fiery speech during a players-only talk during Sunday morning’s shootaround, Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle states in a subscriber-only story. Sengun relied on an interpreter when he came to the NBA from Turkey five years ago, but he has become confident in his English skills. “It’s hard, man. It’s hard to talk another language, but I try every day. I don’t give a … if you know what I’m saying,” he said. “At the end of the day, they understand me and I’m happy with that.”
Lakers Notes: Ayton, Doncic, Smart, Redick, Reaves
Lakers center Deandre Ayton scored just six points in Tuesday’s win over Houston and wasn’t part of the team’s closing lineup in the fourth quarter. However, Ayton was upbeat when he spoke to the media on Thursday and head coach JJ Redick has raved about the work the big man is doing that doesn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheets, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. That includes setting screens, switching on defense, and boxing out on rebounds.
“We love giving DA praise,” Redick said. “We love to give him — I mean, when he does what we ask him to do, he should get all the praise in the world. Again, he’s the former No. 1 pick, and he’s doing a lot of thankless work at times, so we always praise him for that.”
According to Redick, the decision to sit Ayton for the final five minutes of the Lakers’ Game 2 victory was less about anything he did wrong and more about how well backup center Jaxson Hayes was playing down the stretch.
“(Ayton’s) been a big key in both these games. Defensively, I thought (he) was really good in the second half of Game 2 and had played a ton down the stretch — or to start the fourth, he had had a really long run,” the Lakers’ coach said. “And that was during a stretch where there wasn’t a lot of dead balls. I told him I was going to get him out real quick, get him back in, and then Jaxson just played great.
“DA and I had a conversation today, like, ‘You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s not the reason you didn’t finish the game.’ It was just a group out there was winning, and Jaxson was doing a great job. But we can’t win at the level we want to win without those two guys playing great.”
Here are a few more notes on the Lakers:
- Although Luka Doncic was deemed award-eligible after coming up just short of the 65-game criteria, the Lakers star wasn’t among the finalists for this season’s Most Valuable Player award, meaning he didn’t finish in the top three in voting. Speaking before Game 2 (YouTube link), Redick said he was “disappointed” by that outcome and chalked it up to other candidates having more “media momentum” down the stretch. “I think he deserved to be there,” Redick said, “(but) I think all three guys that did end up being the finalists had a strong case.”
- The Lakers were taking a bit of a gamble when they signed Marcus Smart last summer after the guard had been limited to 54 regular season appearances across the previous two seasons due to injuries, but he has rewarded their faith in him, writes Melissa Rohlin of The California Post. “It’s easy to write somebody off as being older or not being as good,” Redick said. “But all of the analytics defensively, the analytics as a secondary play-maker, they were all really favorable. So, we felt really comfortable bringing him on board.” For his part, Smart is appreciate of the opportunity to be starring in the postseason again, telling Rohlin that the chance to “go out here and redeem myself is the best feeling you can have.”
- The Lakers look like the better-coached team through the first two games of their first-round series, according to Mirjam Swanson of The Los Angeles Times, who suggests that Redick is making a strong case that he’s the right coach for the playoffs.
- In case you missed it, guard Austin Reaves – out since April 2 with a strained oblique – is listed as questionable for Game 3 on Friday. “My understanding is Austin Reaves is trying to play in Game 3 tonight,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said on NBA Today on Friday (Twitter video link). “If not Game 3, then Game 4.”
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Kennard, Game 2, Hayes
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves remain out for the Lakers‘ Game 2 matchup against the Rockets on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Dan Woike notes (via Twitter). This was expected as the star backcourt continues to work its way back from a left hamstring strain and left oblique muscle strain, respectively.
While Doncic hasn’t been able to suit up in the playoffs, he has been a valuable presence on the bench, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
“I think people don’t know how much impact Luka has, not only on the court, but off the court,” teammate Rui Hachimura said. “He’s a guy that always wants to be around. … We love him just being around, just hanging out, talking. So, yeah, we’re happy that he’s back finally and he’s doing funny things always. … We missed him for sure.”
Turner writes that Doncic was active on the sideline during Game 1, providing both feedback and encouragement to his teammates. He remains without a firm timeline for return.
We have more from the Lakers:
- Lakers’ coach JJ Redick has loved what he’s seen from Luke Kennard, the hero of Game 1. One of his challenges for the elite shooter was sacrificing some efficiency for volume, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin notes (Twitter video link). “One of the things messaging-wise was, ‘You shooting six or seven threes a game at 38% for the series is better than you shooting three a game at 45%,‘” Redick said. “It’s unlikely he’ll go five-for-five every game, but I loved his level of aggression.” Teammate Jaxson Hayes says Kennard’s outburst came as no surprise. “I used to grow up watching him drop 40, 50 a game in high school,” Hayes said, per McMenamin (Twitter video link). “I’ve known he’s been able to do all that. I watched him do it.”
- Redick knows the Rockets will come out with desperation in Game 2 and is determined to have his Lakers match the energy they played with in Game 1, Benjamin Royer writes for the Orange County Register. “Every day requires something different,” he said. “Yesterday required an elevated recovery day. Today required an elevated focus. It was a longer film session. A decent amount of teach, talk on the court beyond just the practice session. Tomorrow is going to require an elevated sense of desperation on our part because they’re going to come in with that.”
- Hayes has been granted a Slovenian passport, per Michael J. Duarte of The California Post (Twitter video link), allowing him to play with Doncic during international play as the Slovenian team’s designated naturalized player. Hayes says that Doncic has been calling him “my Slovenian brother” since the paperwork came through.
Lakers Notes: Rotation, Smart, Vanderbilt, Reaves, Season
The Lakers have been left searching for answers in the wake of multi-week injuries to star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, writes Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group. Head coach JJ Redick is trying to find a workable rotation with three regular season games remaining before the playoffs, but some of the players who seemed like locks for more minutes and touches have struggled.
Starting center Deandre Ayton, for instance, only had three points (on 1-of-4 shooting) and three rebounds in Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City. Redick said he’s been calling plenty of plays for the No. 1 overall pick, yet the Bahamian big man hasn’t been able to capitalize on those opportunities.
“He’s just had trouble catching the ball,” Redick said. “And I don’t know if that’s the passing or if it’s, you know, him trying to get position, he just, he hasn’t been able to catch the ball.”
Entering last week’s game against the Thunder, in which both Doncic and Reaves sustained their respective injuries, the Lakers had gone 16-2 over their last 18 games. They’ve now dropped three straight, with lingering uncertainty about what the rotation will look like in the postseason.
“Chemistry was high,” guard Luke Kennard said. “We were really close as a group, and it still is. I feel like this might have brought us even closer. Obviously, it’s a different look out there on the court and different voices, but it was definitely a shock and something we weren’t expecting this late in the year going into the playoffs.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Law Murray of The Athletic takes a look at which players might be part of the playoff rotation, listing them in tiers based on their likelihood of receiving minutes. LeBron James is in his own tier as “the anchor,” followed by Kennard, Marcus Smart, Jaxson Hayes and Jake LaRavia, who are in the “rotation locks” tier. Smart will miss his ninth consecutive game Thursday at Golden State due to a right ankle contusion, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Redick continues to refer to Smart as day-to-day, according to Murray, though the second-year coach acknowledged the team thought the veteran guard would have returned from the injury by now.
- Redick downplayed a spat he had with Jarred Vanderbilt in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Redick called timeout just 16 seconds into the second quarter to remove Vanderbilt, though it wasn’t clear why, and the 27-year-old responded by verbally lashing out at his coach. Redick said a “confluence of things” led to the incident. “It’s nothing personal with him. Normal stuff from my end,” Redick said after the loss. “I think for all of us, being undermanned, we’ve got to scrap and claw, we’ve got to all be on the same page, we got to be great teammates, we got to all play hard. Called a timeout to get him out of the game. And he reacted. But again, normal interaction for me.” Vanderbilt, who didn’t play at all after the incident, finished with three points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in five minutes. The eighth-year forward left the arena before reporters were permitted into the locker room, McMenamin notes.
- Reaves is widely expected to decline his $14.9MM player option for next season to become a free agent this summer. How much money will he make in unrestricted free agency? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores that question, writing that the 27-year-old will likely receive a multiyear deal with a starting salary somewhere between $30MM and $41.3MM (his max) in 2026/27.
- The Lakers aren’t going anywhere in the playoffs and the team should shut down Doncic and Reaves for the rest of the season so they don’t risk long-term damage by attempting to rush back from their injuries, argues Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. Doncic traveled to Europe to try to expedite his recovery process from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, while Reaves is battling a strained oblique muscle.
Lakers’ Redick Defends Decision To Play Doncic, Reaves In Blowout
The Lakers‘ season took an unfortunate turn last Thursday as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were injured during a 134-96 loss to Oklahoma City. Speaking with reporters before Sunday’s game at Dallas, head coach JJ Redick explained his decision to use both players in the second half with the team trailing by a wide margin, per Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Doncic was diagnosed on Friday with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that could sideline him for a month or more. He plans to seek treatment in Europe in hopes of making a faster recovery. On Saturday, the Lakers learned that Reaves will miss four-to-six weeks with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury.
Redick said internal medical data didn’t show any signs that Doncic was being overused heading into Thursday. He grabbed at his left hamstring at one point in the first half, but received medical clearance to go back into the game. He suffered the injury early in the third quarter after planting his left leg and again reached for his hamstring.
Reaves experienced a tweak in his left side during the first half of Thursday’s game and went to the locker room to have it checked. He returned in the third quarter and appeared to aggravate the initial injury.
“As a coach, you go on the information you have,” Redick said. “He was medically cleared. When Austin came back, I asked directly. I thought he was hurt. (I was told), ‘No, he’s medically cleared.’ The group wanted to go for it in the second half. Talked about it at halftime. And I think, for both those guys, the nature of playing heavy minutes, that’s certainly a part of, like any equation when you’re trying to manage workloads. We also rely on the tracking data, and we’re looking at that after every game. You know, acceleration, jumps, workload, all of those things.
“And there have been a few times this year where it’s gone, away from the standard deviation of whatever their baseline is, and we make the proper adjustments. There was nothing leading into that game that would suggest either those guys were ‘running hot,’ as we call it.”
Redick also talked about the need to “extend the season” so Doncic and Reaves can return at some point in the playoffs. L.A. is currently tied with Denver at 50-28 and holds the tie-breaker for the No. 3 seed in the West, but a challenging schedule lies ahead with games this week against Oklahoma City, Golden State, Phoenix and Utah.
The Lakers got their first look at what life is going to be like in the meantime in Sunday’s loss to the Mavericks, per Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN. L.A. gave up 41 points in the first quarter and trailed by 22 at one point before rallying to make the game close.
They used a starting lineup of LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura and Jake LaRavia that had never played together before Sunday. McMenamin and Charania note that the group that started the second quarter – James, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and Kobe Bufkin – was also playing together for the first time.
James talked about the shock of finding out about Reaves’ absence in the wake of Doncic’s injury.
“I took my nap after practice, and I woke up with that news, it was like another shot to the [head],” James said. “It was a shot to the heart, obviously, and to the chest and to the mainframe with Luka. … But we kind of got that news kind of quick, and AR … we knew he was going to get an MRI, but I woke up from my nap yesterday and then saw that news, and I was like, ‘S–t.’ That was literally my tone.”
James took on a larger role with the other two stars sidelined, but the Lakers are going to be careful not to overuse him for the rest of the regular season, according to Khobi Price of The California Post. He finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists in 39 minutes – marking just his sixth 30-point game of the season, along with his highest assist total of 2025/26.
“We did enough intentionally to get him sort of out of actions and not have him involved in every single play when he was out there,” Redick said. “And then there were times when he would get an outlet pass or get the ball and just kind of manipulated the half-court set for us and we got some good stuff.”
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Centers, Smart
The amount of money LeBron James is willing to accept in his next contract will help determine where he plays next season or if he plays at all, according to Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. James will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, which is an unusual position as he typically holds a player option that gives him leverage in determining his future.
“Will he play for the mid-level exception? For the minimum?” one scout asked the authors. “A big part of this is knowing what he will be willing to do [financially].”
McMenamin and Bontemps point out that if James is willing to accept a veteran’s minimum deal just to continue his career, he becomes an attractive option for any team in the league. If he demands the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be about $15MM, or tries to work out a sign-and-trade, his next team may have to make other roster moves to get below the first tax apron.
The Lakers will hold James’ Bird rights and won’t face the same salary restrictions as their competitors. However, the need to re-sign free agent Austin Reaves, who could be in line for a max deal, will affect how much L.A. might be willing to spend in other areas. Sources tell the authors that along with Reaves, the Lakers are hoping to reach new deals with Jaxson Hayes, Luke Kennard and possibly Rui Hachimura if he can be re-signed at a reasonable price.
McMenamin and Bontemps list the Warriors, Cavaliers, Knicks, Nuggets and Clippers as teams to watch if James decides to go elsewhere.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Head coach JJ Redick is touting Luka Doncic for Most Valuable Player honors, McMenamin adds in a separate story. L.A. went 15-2 in March with Doncic scoring 600 points, making him one of 10 players in NBA history to reach that total in any month. “He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning,” Redick said. “Certainly, we have a ton of guys starring in their roles, but he’s the driver.” Doncic declined a chance to campaign for himself as MVP, per Melissa Rohlin of The California Post (Twitter video link).
- The Lakers have been getting improved play at center with the postseason approaching, notes Khobi Price of The California Post. It’s a welcome change from last year, when Redick was sometimes forced to use centerless lineups in a first-round loss to Minnesota.
- Marcus Smart will miss his sixth straight game with an ankle contusion when the Lakers travel to Oklahoma City on Thursday, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Reaves, Ayton, Injuries
LeBron James returned Thursday after missing three games with foot, elbow and hip injuries, but it was mostly in a supporting role as the Lakers defeated Chicago for their fourth straight win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James posted 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but he took just 13 shots as Luka Doncic (51) and Austin Reaves (30) dominated the scoring. According to McMenamin, L.A. is 8-3 this season when James isn’t one of the team’s top two players in field goal attempts.
“LeBron and I, we talked, we had a great conversation over the last couple days,” coach JJ Redick said. “He wants to do everything possible to help his team win, and he understands the importance of making sure Luka and AR can be at their best. And you know, that’s incredible with him. It speaks a lot to just how much he cares about this team and his teammates, and how much he wants to win.”
Although James is still capable of huge scoring nights, he has become more of a complementary player at age 41. He called Doncic and Reaves “magical and dynamic” on offense and said he’s willing to do whatever is needed to help the Lakers succeed.
“I mean, if it benefits others, it benefits the team. The team is most important,” James said. “Everybody’s successful when we win. So yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual, but what’s important for this team, I’m able to adapt to. … And that’s the only thing that matters. And the win is the only thing that matters.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- Doncic celebrated his first 50-point game with the Lakers and his highest scoring total since being traded last February. Reaves topped 25 points for the third straight game, which McMenamin notes is his longest streak since suffering a calf injury in November that led to an extended absence. “I obviously have delusional confidence in myself when it comes to basketball,” Reaves said. “But when the game’s over and I’ve got to go home and think about it, I don’t really think of myself in the category of some of these other guys. But I just enjoy playing basketball, playing the right way and continuing to get better.”
- Deandre Ayton is averaging 14.3 points and 10.0 rebounds over the last three games after being sidelined by knee soreness last week, McMenamin tweets. “Felt like I picked up my energy and my focus,” Ayton said. “You know, I finally caught up with the team.”
- Before the game, Redick told reporters that Maxi Kleber is expected to miss more time with a lumbar issue, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). The team is waiting for results after Jaxson Hayes underwent imaging on his back, while Marcus Smart, who sat out Thursday’s contest with a hip issue, may be able to return Saturday against Denver.
Lakers Notes: Reaves, Defense, Ayton, Hayes
Austin Reaves is starting to look like the player he was early in the season, which could make the Lakers far more dangerous as the playoffs near, writes Melissa Rohlin of The California Post. Reaves’ scoring has been down since he returned from a strained left calf in early February, but he was aggressively looking for his shot in Sunday’s win over New York. He wound up with 25 points, marking just the third time he has reached the 20-point mark in the past 15 games.
“I think the messaging to him has just been to be himself,” coach JJ Redick said. “And I think sometimes when you miss time and there’s circumstances going on with the team that you can kind of be a little passive. … We want him to be aggressive. Every time he gets the ball, we want him to be aggressive and have a mentality to touch the paint.”
Reaves played like an All-Star as the season began, looking worthy of the five-year, $241MM contract that he’ll be eligible to collect this summer (if he declines his $14.9MM player option, as expected). If he can return to that level, the Lakers will be in position to challenge anyone in the West.
“Have fun,” he explained to reporters about his approach to the Sunday afternoon contest. “Woke up, early game, I was tired when I got here. I just told myself to have fun. I don’t feel like I’ve played bad, I just haven’t made a lot of shots. I feel like I’ve done a lot of other things well. Just continuing to play the game the right way, and I feel like good will come to good.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- With LeBron James sidelined by elbow and foot issues, the Lakers turned up their defense in Sunday’s blowout win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Defense has frequently been an issue for L.A. throughout the season, but the team was in top form against New York, holding the league’s third-most efficient offense to 42.7% from the field and forcing 19 turnovers. Redick singled out Reaves, Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart for their willingness to take charges. “That’s a sacrificial play,” Redick said. “You got to put your body on the line. Our guys have been motivated to do that all year.”
- Deandre Ayton‘s up-and-down play has been an issue, but the Lakers haven’t lost confidence in him, McMenamin tweets. He played 20 minutes on Sunday after sitting out most of the past two games with knee soreness. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that we’re going to get a consistent version of him down the stretch of the season,” Redick said.
- In a subscriber-only story, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register examines the connection that Doncic has formed with Jaxson Hayes and looks at how getting him easy baskets can unlock the rest of the Lakers’ offense.
Injury Notes: Brown, Hayes, Siakam, Thompson, Jovic, Goodwin
Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown won’t play on Tuesday against the Suns due to a right knee contusion. He was originally listed as questionable but was downgraded about seven hours before tipoff, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports.
This will be the sixth game Brown has missed this season. The veteran wing is averaging 29.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game and scored a team-high 32 points in 36 minutes on Sunday against the Lakers.
Here’s more injury news from around the league:
- Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes will miss tonight’s game against Orlando due to a right ankle sprain, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Hayes played just five minutes against Boston on Sunday before exiting due to that injury.
- Rockets guard Amen Thompson will sit out Wednesday’s home game against Sacramento due to left quad tendinitis, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Thompson played 29 minutes against Utah on Monday, contributing 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in Houston’s 20-point victory.
- Pacers forward Pascal Siakam won’t play against Philadelphia tonight due to a left wrist sprain, Tony East of Forbess tweets. It will be the seventh game he’s missed this season.
- Heat forward Nikola Jovic has returned to Miami during the team’s current road trip for back treatment, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Miami plays Milwaukee tonight and wraps up its trip in Philadelphia on Thursday. The Heat’s next home game is Saturday against Houston. It’s been a rough season for Jovic, who has been in and out of the rotation after signing a four-year, $62.4MM extension in October.
- Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, who is dealing with a left calf strain, will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Goodwin had a 17-point outing against Orlando on Saturday, then missed the next contest against Portland. The Suns also confirmed Dillon Brooks‘ four-to-six week timeline before a reevaluation of his broken left hand.
Damian Lillard Wins Three-Point Contest
Damian Lillard isn’t playing this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, but his jumper was still sharp enough to win Saturday’s three-point contest at All-Star Weekend, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Appearing on an NBA court for the first time since he suffered the injury last April 27, the Trail Blazers guard sank 10 straight shots at one point during the final round to defeat Devin Booker and rookie Kon Knueppel.
It’s Lillard’s third victory in the past four years and it ties him with Larry Bird and Craig Hodges, the only other three-time champs in the history of the contest, which began in 1986.
“Every day I’m up early in the morning warming up and shooting the ball, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot, every style of shot you can shoot. I’m shooting them every day, hundreds of ’em,” Lillard said. “So I knew that this would not be an issue for me. I can’t say I knew that I would win ’cause you just never know. But I knew I would be able to be strong out there and have a chance. I came in confident.”
Lillard was a surprise inclusion in the field of eight contestants because of the injury and his long layoff. He jokingly told a league official that he was ready to go, and he later got the opportunity when another competitor dropped out.
“It felt like a game for me,” Lillard said. “Coming into it, I was like, I don’t know if you can compete harder at a three-point shootout, but I definitely cared more. I didn’t come in, ‘Oh, it is what it is.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m trying to win.’”
Woike notes that the favorite of the L.A. crowd was Heat guard Norman Powell, who spent three years with the Clippers before being traded last summer. Powell scored 23 points in the first round before being eliminated along with Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey and Bobby Portis.
“I just ran a little bit of time,” Powell said, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “I slowed myself down a little too much, because last year I was sped up and going through the course too fast, so kind of said I’m gonna calm down, relax. and take my time with my shots. But, in the end, I ran a little bit of time.”
Second-year Heat forward Keshad Johnson won the Slam Dunk Contest, defeating Carter Bryant in the finals. Jaxson Hayes and Jase Richardson were eliminated in the first round.
The Shooting Stars competition went to the Knicks‘ contingent of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston, along with their celebrity passer, assistant coach Rick Brunson.