After looking dominant at times in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers got blown out by the Houston Rockets 112-97 in Game 1 of the second round.
Lakers superstar LeBron James outlined the big discrepancy in points off turnovers as a huge reason why the Lakers lost.
LeBron said he thought HOU's speed stood out more in playing Game 1 on the court than it had watching film. He thought the defense was OK, while the turnovers on offense were the biggest problem. LAL had only 1 more TO than HOU, but HOU scored 27 points to LAL’s 12 off TO’s.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 5, 2020
.@KingJames (20 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST) talks with @LakersReporter about the offense needing to clean up the turnovers that led to points for the Rockets. pic.twitter.com/2uMnVKrUzz
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) September 5, 2020
L.A. outscored Houston 18-9 in fast-break points, but it was unable to capitalize on missed shots and miscues nearly as well as the Rockets did.
The game was decided in the fourth quarter when the Rockets stretched a six-point lead and turned a competitive contest into a rout.
Although James shot well, he scored just 20 points. The Lakers will certainly need more offense from him to get past the Rockets.
The 3-point shot was also a big problem for L.A., as it hit just 11 of its 38 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Lakers also failed to outrebound the Rockets despite holding a huge size advantage.
If L.A. also drops Game 2, its championship hopes will suddenly be in jeopardy.
