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- LeBron James leads the Lakers, perhaps with an Austin Reaves boost.
LeBron James leads the Lakers, perhaps with an Austin Reaves boost. NBAE via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Lakers looked to have taken a snow day on Sunday night when they were blown by the Rockets in Game 4.
No team has come back down 3-0 in an NBA playoff series, but the Lakers would be wise to put the hammer down on Wednesday night when they face the Houston Rockets as 4-point favorites.
Houston finally unveiled a semblance of an offensive game plan during Game 4 by targeting Luke Kennard, who is perhaps the worst defensive player on the Lakers roster.
The Rockets enjoyed picking on Kennard in defensive sets, getting him into switches, and making the Lakers pay early and often.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers counter the Rockets’ strategy on Kennard for the minutes that he’s on the floor, as Austin Reaves looks like he’s on the brink of returning for Los Angeles.
Reaves coming back in the fold is surely the reason the Lakers are favored for the first time in the series after walking into the playoffs as massive +550 underdogs.
Aside from Marcus Smart, the Lakers are a disaster at perimeter defense, even with Reaves in the lineup.
In Game 4, the Rockets shot 50 percent against Kennard and took an obscene 16 field goals with him as the primary defender, by far the most on the floor.
I’m concerned about the Lakers’ ability to score if Kennard is pushed off the floor by his poor defensive metrics.
Ime Udoka finally made some adjustments in Game 4. NBAE via Getty Images
With Reaves back in the lineup, they might be able to withstand Kennard sitting on the bench for long periods. However, Reaves is not a good defender either, arguably just as bad as Kennard.
Reaves allowed opposing scorers to shoot 49 percent against him this season, the third-worst figure on the team behind Kennard (49.5 percent) and Rui Hachimura (50 percent).
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The Rockets finally found something on offense they can attack, and Reaves won’t be a fix for that.
I think it is actually a buy-low spot for the Rockets and prefer to buy them here as moderate underdogs for the first time in the series.
THE PLAY: Rockets ML (+163, Kalshi)
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