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The Los Angeles Lakers have won two of their first three games since acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, the latest move from a franchise in desperate search for complementary pieces to plug alongside stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and the Atlanta Hawks this week have been positives for the Lakers, who will face the host Houston Rockets on Sunday in the first of two road games sandwiched between four- and five-game homestands.
Los Angeles discovered a rhythm late in the third quarter against Atlanta on Friday and rode that momentum to a 119-102 win. The Lakers’ performance on both ends of the floor offered a snapshot of what could be if all the pieces in place are performing as expected.
“I’m encouraged by our team in general,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “The reason why executing a personnel-based scouting report that we’ve talked about is because I don’t want to coach a good team, and I don’t want to be a part of a good team. I want to be a part of a great team, and I believe this team can be a great team. So, it is about the small details. …
“We have to get back on defense. We have to execute on offense. We have to pass, and we have to screen. When we’ve done that, we’ve been a really good basketball team.”
Even with its issues fashioning a consistently efficient offense, Houston has remained near the top of the Western Conference standings throughout the first half of the regular season.
However, injuries are posing a threat to the Rockets’ progress. Houston lost forward Jabari Smith Jr. to a fracture in his non-shooting hand on Friday before a 109-86 home loss to the Boston Celtics. The Rockets also played without reserves Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, with Eason missing an eighth consecutive game due to ongoing leg soreness.
Jalen Green scored 27 points against Boston and leads Houston with 19.6 points per game.
Thompson served the back end of a two-game suspension on Friday for his role in an altercation with the Miami Heat last Sunday. Eason and Thompson have been vital cogs for the Rockets, while Smith provided a critical defensive presence to complement his 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Smith needs surgery and will be sidelined between four and eight weeks.
While Thompson will return against the Lakers, the long-term loss of Smith and the uncertainty surrounding Eason has put the Houston rotation in flux. Adapting to attrition is part of the NBA, but the Rockets have encountered an unexpected hardship that could alter their entire season.
“Amen will be back and that will help,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “So he’ll be starting and we’ll go from there with the others. Find some guys who have played, which other guys have, and see what works best with the bench guys with hopefully not a too-depleted lineup.
“Obviously, Jabari is out and we hope to have Tari back, and if you can get those two — Tari and Amen — we can settle in fine.”
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