The Lakers had two keys to beat the Rockets. They did neither — and still won

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksFirst-Round PredictionsHollinger's Playoff PreviewThe Bucks' Season From HellPlayer Poll: Who Will Win Title?NBA Postseason JJ Redick has simplified everything for the Lakers, which paid off in a big way in Game 1 against the Rockets. Adam Pantozzi / Getty Images Share articleLOS ANGELES — Simplicity might not come naturally to JJ Redick. The complexities and idiosyncrasies of basketball bounce around his mind and have made him obsessed with the sport to which he’s given his life. When the Lakers hired him to replace Darvin Ham, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said the organization landed on Redick in part because of his “high-level strategy.” “I’m going to use math,” Redick said at his introductory news conference. But two full seasons later, Redick had grown to understand his affinity for the minutiae might not work for everyone. Screening angles, footwork patterns and complex offensive actions named after foreign countries needed to give way to something clearer. “There’s beauty in simplicity, and there’s beauty in clarity,” Redick said “And that’s what we try to create for our guys.” Redick said there were two things his team had to do against the Houston Rockets in order to have a chance at success: take care of the ball and box out. He said it on the first day the Lakers gathered to prepare for the Rockets. He repeated it at every turn. Then in Game 1, the Lakers turned the ball over 20 times and allowed 21 offensive rebounds. And still, the Lakers walked away with a 107-98 win. While Redick was trimming the fat from his playbook and his strategic messaging, the Lakers were building something beyond resiliency. Resilient teams always fight. They always scrap. This group has shown it has some of that in its game, plus resourcefulness, too. With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves — and their 56.8 points of regular-season scoring — watching in street clothes, the Lakers found a way to shoot 60.6 percent against the Rockets defense. They found ways, despite the Rockets shooting 93 times at the rim, to hold them to only 98 points. They pivoted from a Kevin Durant-centric defensive game plan after getting word he’d be out roughly 90 minutes before tip. “I don’t think it affected our mentality,” Redick said. “You can’t worry about who’s in or out of the lineup. It’s our game plan, it’s our standards, it’s how we play.” It shouldn’t have been a surprise that the Lakers weren’t caught flat-footed. In Redick’s first playoffs a season ago, his group wasn’t ready for the physicality that the Minnesota Timberwolves brought. This year, they monitored workloads, held Assault Bike competitions and preached readiness. And when Durant was scratched, the surprise inside the Lakers’ locker room quickly transitioned to thinking about a new set of problems that needed solving. “We kept our composure,” said LeBron James, who finished the night with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. James was the personification of composure against a Rockets team that’s fueled by physicality and athleticism. James stared down the Rockets defense early and had eight first-quarter assists with no turnovers. Everyone else on the court found their rhythm at his direction. “I got to do a little bit of everything,” James said. “It’s what the job requires.” For Luke Kennard, the job meant expanding his shot diet while handling the ball against one of the NBA’s best pressure defenders, Amen Thompson. Kennard finished with 27 points, including three massive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. He turned the ball over only three times in more than 38 minutes. Losses to Dallas and Oklahoma City followed by three wins to close the regular season were crucial in Kennard flipping from bench scorer to starting point guard. “I felt those games leading up to now I developed a rhythm,” Kennard said. “Kind of playing in that role, it gave me confidence going into the playoffs, doing more and being controlled and poised and looking for my shot when I can. So tonight it was no different.” And Kennard’s showed a willingness to seek out what “the best shot” looks like for him. Postgame, Redick said he liked how aggressive Kennard was at the 3-point line. One of those 3s came after an attack where he pulled the ball back out and launched at the first clear sightline. “It’s everybody continuing to build confidence in me to be aggressive and look for my shot whenever I can. So any daylight that I see,” Kennard said. “And they obviously they got some big athletic defenders, guys that have been on me from the start of the game trying to be physical. So when I see space in the rim, I’m going to look to get it up.” Elsewhere, there were Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton, locker room neighbors who both signed with the Lakers in part because of their desire to play meaningful basketball again. Smart made one 3, but it was a momentum-stopper in the fourth quarter. His five turnovers were a problem, but his eight assists were a must. And Ayton, squaring up with All-Star Alperen Şengün, matched Şengün with 19 points on just 10 shots and added 11 rebounds “Just thought we were really poised as a team. We had a great next-play mentality,” Redick said. “Wasn’t a perfect game. None of these games are gonna be perfect. Got contributions from a lot of people in a lot of different ways, and made enough winning plays, despite the turnovers and the offensive rebounds.” Saturday, this version of the Lakers proved it was good enough to play with this version of the Rockets. And while the series will undoubtedly present more complex problems, the Lakers have shown over and over again that they’re game for it. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Dan Woike covers the Los Angeles Lakers for The Athletic. He's written about professional basketball in Los Angeles since 2011, first for the Orange County Register and most recently for the Los Angeles Times. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Pro Basketball Writers Association, the Los Angeles Press Club and the California News Publishers Association. He's originally from Chicago. Follow Dan on Twitter @DanWoikeSports