Kennard's big playoff night
- Luke Kennard erupted for 24 points on 8‑of‑11 shooting, giving him his highest scoring night in the playoffs. - He went 4‑for‑4 from three and helped the Lakers build a 16‑point lead with under eight minutes remaining. - Kennard’s shooting streak, including back‑to‑back deep looks with LeBron, illustrated how bench sharpshooting changed late game momentum ( ).
Luke Kennard gave the Lakers a playoff jolt Saturday night, scoring a career postseason-high 27 points in a 107-98 Game 1 win over Houston. (nba.com) Kennard shot 9-for-13 from the field and 5-for-5 from 3-point range, while LeBron James added 19 points and 13 assists and Deandre Ayton finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers, the West’s No. 4 seed, took a 1-0 series lead over the No. 5 Rockets. (espn.com) The burst came with Los Angeles missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who have both been out since April 2, and Houston playing without Kevin Durant after a late scratch with a bruised right knee. Los Angeles still shot 60.6% and held Houston to 37.6%. (espn.com) James said the Lakers needed “a collective group” with so much scoring unavailable, and Game 1 looked like that version of the roster. Los Angeles won despite attempting only 66 shots, which the Associated Press report on NBA.com called the fewest in an NBA game in the past three seasons. (nba.com) Kennard was not on the Lakers at midseason. Los Angeles acquired him from Atlanta on February 5 in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a future second-round pick, adding one of the league’s most accurate outside shooters. (nba.com) That trade was aimed at a simple problem: spacing the floor around James and the Lakers’ other creators. ESPN reported at the time that Kennard was shooting a career-best 49.7% from 3 and that Los Angeles ranked 22nd in team 3-point percentage before the deal. (espn.com) Game 1 showed the version the Lakers wanted. ESPN’s recap highlighted a fourth-quarter stretch when Kennard and James hit back-to-back 3-pointers and pushed the lead to 16, turning a close opener into a controlled finish. (espn.com) Houston still found second-chance chances, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds, and got 19 points from Alperen Sengun, 17 from Amen Thompson and 16 points with 12 rebounds from Jabari Smith Jr. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said, “We won a lot of areas, but just shot poorly.” (espn.com) The series stays in Los Angeles for Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21. After one night, the Lakers got the exact playoff formula they were chasing when they traded for Kennard: LeBron organizing, defenders swarming, and one shooter bending the game. (nba.com)
