Rebounding was not a energy of the Lakers over the course of the common season. Rebounding was a energy of the Houston Rockets in the course of the 2025-26 marketing campaign.
So, on their first day of follow Tuesday for Game 1 of the playoffs Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers labored diligently on rebounding drills, figuring out full effectively that can be one of many keys towards the Rockets.
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The Lakers had been the fourth-worst rebounding group within the NBA, averaging 41.0 per recreation. The Rockets had been the highest rebounding group within the league, getting 48.1 total and 15.0 on the offensive finish.
And one of many Lakers’ higher rebounders, Luka Doncic, gained’t be out there as a result of he’s dealing with a Grade 2 left hamstring pressure that he went to Spain for therapy. Doncic is second on the Lakers in rebounding at 7.7 per recreation. His beginning backcourt mate, Austin Reaves, additionally is an effective rebounder however he additionally gained’t play due to a Grade 2 left indirect pressure. Reaves is averaging 4.7 rebounds per recreation.
“They’re out indefinitely,” Lakers coach JJ Redick stated about Doncic and Reaves.
Redick then gave a easy reply for how the Lakers should deal with the Rockets within the best-of-seven series.
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Read extra: LeBron James takes the reins for Lakers entering playoffs
“Again, taking care of the basketball and boxing out. That’s the series,” Redick stated. “Scheme, personnel, obviously important, but if we don’t take care of the ball and we don’t box out, we’re not gonna win the series.
“They were No. 4 in scoring opportunities. We were No. 23, so we don’t have the luxury with Luka and AR out of getting drilled in scoring opportunities every single game. We gotta box out. We’re going to place an emphasis on every drill in practice. We started practice with boxing out today. You gotta put it in their minds. That’s literally the only thing we said about Houston today. Today was about us having a practice, getting sharp with our stuff. Tomorrow, we’ll introduce [Rockets] personnel. Thursday we’ll do our scout, as we would. Friday will be a reinforcement of that scout. Saturday we’ll be good to go. Only thing we did today was box out.”
Lakers 7-foot backup heart Jaxson Hayes can be counted to get rebounds. He’ll additionally spend time dealing with Rockets All-Star heart Alperen Sengun, who averages 20.4 factors and eight.9 rebounds (3.0 on offense) per recreation.
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Hayes missed the final 4 video games due to left foot soreness, however he was again at follow Tuesday.
“Feeling a lot better,” Hayes stated. “It’s nice getting a few days off. Especially with my job, I jump a lot and I run a lot, so it’s hard for me to rest something like that. Getting those days off was very much needed. Very helpful.”
When requested concerning the box-out drills the Lakers did at follow, Hayes recalled the final time he did such a factor.
Read extra: How do the Lakers match up against the Houston Rockets entering their playoff series?
“Definitely college, for sure,” Hayes stated. “College days with those Texas bigs. Coaches start off the practice where you got to smack somebody. Obviously, we weren’t trying to murder each other out on the boards, but definitely practicing that stuff. Houston is, I think, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the past 20 years. So, just making sure we’re ready for that.”
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The Rockets are a bodily group that additionally performs smothering protection.
Houston allowed 110.0 factors per recreation in the course of the common season, the fourth-best defensive mark within the league, and held groups to 46.0% taking pictures, the sixth-best mark within the league.
For Lakers guard Marcus Smart, there’s one option to compete with the Rockets on the backboards.
“Will. Will power,” Smart stated. “We’re competitors. We’ve been doing this for a while. We’re doing that at the highest level, right? And they’re going to try to come in and punk us. And if you will allow that, you will be punked. And I don’t think we have any guys that are going to be punked on this team. So, we might not be the most athletic and strongest, but we got to have the most heart.”
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Times.