EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Here are three takeaways from the Lakers’ 112-102 victory Tuesday over the Houston Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.
1. LeBron James, defensive specialist? Why not.
He scored 29 points in the first half, one shy of his career playoff high for a half, and followed it up with four blocked shots in the third quarter to jump start an incredible team defensive effort in the second half.
The Lakers allowed only 38 points after halftime and took a 2-1 series lead.
On the day the NBA All-Defense team was announced, James turned back the clock by blocking the shots of Eric Gordon twice, James Harden and Austin Rivers. Ouch.
James, for the record, didn’t make the NBA All-Defense team this year. It didn’t matter.
He set a more important standard Tuesday when he passed Derek Fisher for the most playoff victories in NBA history (162).
“It seems like he’s drinking from the Fountain of Youth,” Anthony Davis said after his 35-year-old teammate scored 36 points.
2. When Rajon Rondo had a rough Game 1, impatient Lakers fans in the Twittersphere wanted a little more. Maybe even a lot more.
It was a little unfair because he hadn’t played a game in almost six months, sitting out with everyone else during the coronavirus shutdown and then fracturing his thumb when the Lakers started practicing in mid-July. For good measure, back spasms cost him another week on the sideline after his thumb healed.
Fast forward to Game 2, where he had 10 points, nine assists and five steals. Then came Game 3.
Rondo, not James or Davis, was the dominant player in the fourth quarter as the Lakers turned a close game into a 12-point lead.
He was seemingly everywhere. He made two three-pointers, had a steal that led to his own layup, and a couple other successful drives.
All in all, he finished with 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers break an 82-82 tie after the third. His totals looked even better: 21 points on eight-for-11 shooting and nine assists in 30 minutes.
Not bad for a 34-year-old who’s played three games since March 10.
3. Kyle Kuzma is in his first playoff series. He’s only 25 years old.
Yet he’s played like an experienced veteran this week.
Kuzma has made 13 of 17 shots (76 percent) in the two Laker victories, calmly waiting for the game to come to him and settling into good spots on the floor for his attempts.
Kuzma wasn’t a scoring factor in the first round against Portland, averaging 10.8 points and shooting a ragged 36 percent.
But his defense continues to be solid. Kuzma is one of only two Lakers to be positive in the plus-minus category in seven of their eight playoff games. Alex Caruso is the other.