Lakers prepare for Rockets playoff series with emphasis on rebounding - BERITAJA

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

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

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

And 1 of the 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 the 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 about Doncic and Reaves.

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

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

“They were No. 4 successful scoring opportunities. We were No. 23, truthful we don’t person the 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 the only point we said about Houston today. Today was about 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 the 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 about the box-out drills the Lakers did astatine practice, Hayes recalled the past clip he did specified a thing.

“Definitely college, for sure,” Hayes said. “College days pinch those Texas bigs. Coaches commencement disconnected the believe wherever you sewage to smack somebody. Obviously, we weren’t trying to execution each different retired connected the boards, but decidedly practicing that stuff. Houston is, I think, 1 of the champion violative rebounding teams successful the 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 the regular season, the fourth-best protect people successful the league, and held teams to 46.0% shooting, the sixth-best people successful the league.

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

“Will. Will power,” Smart said. “We’re competitors. We’ve been doing this for a while. We’re doing that astatine the 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 the about diversion and strongest, but we sewage to person the about heart.”