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Kevin Durant said the Houston Rockets left Crypto.com Arena frustrated by missed opportunities after falling 101-94 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, giving the short-handed Lakers a surprising 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
“Felt good. Glad to be back out there playing high pressure moments,” Durant said. “But bad game for me tonight.”
Durant returned after missing Game 1 with a right knee bruise, but the Lakers pressured him into a difficult night. He finished with 23 points, but scored only three in the second half and took just 12 shots while also committing nine turnovers.
“They start doubling me from possession one, man,” Durant said. “I think I got to be better at not putting my teammates in bad positions when I swing that ball.”
He said Houston’s offense has to do a better job punishing the Lakers’ aggressive coverages. “Sometimes I could beat the double, get downhill, make the shot a little easier for them, shoot the ball,” Durant said. “With two or three people on me, if I shoot the ball, we can get an offensive rebound.”
Houston shot only 40.4% from the field and made just seven 3-pointers, while Los Angeles defended at a high level and got another strong performance from Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard. Durant said the Lakers’ shot making has been the difference through two games.
“24% from three, 40 from the field. Tough night shooting the ball for us and they knocked down shots,” he said. “Their backcourt had 48 points combined, hit eight threes, then Rui hit three threes himself. So it’s tough.”
Durant added that Houston has still done enough in some of the possession battles, but not enough in the most important one. “We’re getting way more shots than them this series at the rim,” he said. “We beat them in the possession game. We’re getting the same amount of threes up. We’re offensive rebounding. We’re turning them over too. The difference is they make shots.”
He pointed to Los Angeles’ confidence from the perimeter and his team’s need to respond with more aggression. “They’re daring us to shoot. They’re daring us to make plays,” Durant said. “It’s on us to make them pay for it.”
Durant also said the Rockets cannot let the early deficit change their mindset before Game 3 in Houston. “Just one possession at a time,” he said. “Just keep grinding.”
For all the frustration, Durant said the postseason environment is still what he wants. “Yeah, of course,” he said. “Playoff time is always fun, no matter who you’re playing against.”
