Lakers Prepare For Rockets Playoff Series With Emphasis On Rebounding

Rebounding was not a spot of the Lakers complete nan people of nan regular season. Rebounding was a spot of nan Houston Rockets during nan 2025-26 campaign.

So, connected their first time of believe Tuesday for Game 1 of nan first round Saturday astatine Crypto.com Arena, nan Lakers worked diligently connected rebounding drills, knowing afloat good that will beryllium 1 of nan keys against nan Rockets.

The Lakers were nan fourth-worst rebounding squad successful nan NBA, averaging 41.0 per game. The Rockets were nan apical rebounding squad successful nan league, getting 48.1 wide and 15.0 connected nan violative end.

And 1 of nan Lakers’ amended rebounders, Luka Doncic, won’t beryllium disposable because he’s dealing pinch a Grade 2 near hamstring strain that he went to Spain for treatment. Doncic is 2nd connected nan Lakers successful rebounding astatine 7.7 per game. His starting backcourt mate, Austin Reaves, besides is simply a bully rebounder but he besides won’t play because of a Grade 2 near oblique strain. Reaves is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game.

“They’re retired indefinitely,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said astir Doncic and Reaves.

Redick past gave a elemental reply for really nan Lakers person to woody pinch nan Rockets successful nan best-of-seven series.

“Again, taking attraction of nan hoops and boxing out. That’s nan series,” Redick said. “Scheme, personnel, evidently important, but if we don’t return attraction of nan shot and we don’t container out, we’re not gonna triumph nan series.

“They were No. 4 successful scoring opportunities. We were No. 23, truthful we don’t person nan luxury pinch Luka and AR retired of getting drilled successful scoring opportunities each azygous game. We gotta container out. We’re going to spot an accent connected each drill successful practice. We started believe pinch boxing retired today. You gotta put it successful their minds. That’s virtually nan only point we said astir Houston today. Today was astir america having a practice, getting crisp pinch our stuff. Tomorrow, we’ll present [Rockets] personnel. Thursday we’ll do our scout, arsenic we would. Friday will beryllium a reinforcement of that scout. Saturday we’ll beryllium bully to go. Only point we did coming was container out.”

Lakers 7-foot backup halfway Jaxson Hayes will beryllium counted to get rebounds. He’ll besides walk clip dealing pinch Rockets All-Star halfway Alperen Sengun, who averages 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds (3.0 connected offense) per game.

Hayes missed nan past 4 games because of near ft soreness, but he was backmost astatine believe Tuesday.

“Feeling a batch better,” Hayes said. “It’s bully getting a fewer days off. Especially pinch my job, I jump a batch and I tally a lot, truthful it’s difficult for maine to remainder thing for illustration that. Getting those days disconnected was very overmuch needed. Very helpful.”

When asked astir nan box-out drills nan Lakers did astatine practice, Hayes recalled nan past clip he did specified a thing.

“Definitely college, for sure,” Hayes said. “College days pinch those Texas bigs. Coaches commencement disconnected nan believe wherever you sewage to smack somebody. Obviously, we weren’t trying to execution each different retired connected nan boards, but decidedly practicing that stuff. Houston is, I think, 1 of nan champion violative rebounding teams successful nan past 20 years. So, conscionable making judge we’re fresh for that.”

The Rockets are a beingness squad that besides plays smothering defense.

Houston allowed 110.0 points per crippled during nan regular season, nan fourth-best protect people successful nan league, and held teams to 46.0% shooting, nan sixth-best people successful nan league.

For Lakers defender Marcus Smart, location is 1 measurement to compete pinch nan Rockets connected nan backboards.

“Will. Willpower,” Smart said. “We’re competitors. We’ve been doing this for a while. We’re doing that astatine nan highest level, right? And they’re going to effort to travel successful and punk us. And if you will let that, you will beryllium punked. And I don’t deliberation we person immoderate guys that are going to beryllium punked connected this team. So, we mightiness not beryllium nan astir diversion and strongest, but we sewage to person nan astir heart.”