National Basketball Association

Small-Ball Rules As Rockets Strike First

Updated Sep. 5, 2020 12:58 a.m. ET

The Houston Rockets showed no signs of fatigue after a tough seven game slugfest with the Oklahoma City Thunder, jumping out to a quick 1-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here are the 3 biggest takeaways from Houston's 112-97 Game 1 win.

1. Rockets guards heat up

After struggling in Game 7 against the Thunder, scoring only 17 points and shooting 4-for-15 from the field, James Harden got back on track early and often against the Lakers.

The NBA's scoring champ showed off the full arsenal in the first half, scoring 25 of his game-high 36 points.

But he wasn't alone in catching fire on this Lakers defense.

Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, while Eric Gordon also scored 23 points.

With Westbrook missing the first four games of the first round, and Gordon missing the final six seeding games, these three haven't had much time on the floor together in the bubble.

Friday, they showed how dangerous of a trio they can be.

2. LeBron and Anthony Davis stagnate

Looking at the box score, it might not appear as if LeBron James and Anthony Davis struggled that much. James finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Davis scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

But a deeper look tells the true story. James would go scoreless in the fourth quarter, while Davis only scored six points in the frame, watching a game that was once in reach slip away.

The Lakers will need their All-Star duo to be better going forward to replicate those kind of results.

3. 3s and (small-ball) D

The Rockets shoot more threes than any team remaining in the bubble, with an average of 51 attempts per game.

So it should come as no surprise they made 14 three-pointers to the Lakers 11 in Game 1.

The bigger surprise might be that the bigger Lakers shot eight less free throws than the Rockets, with the final tally being 27-19 in attempts. One might imagine that Houston's small-ball lineups would have to hack at Los Angeles' bigs.

Instead, the Rockets swarmed every time the ball entered the post, showing how their unorthodox lineup might actually be equipped to battle a team that wants to force post ups.

Part of the fun of Game 2 will be seeing how the Lakers counter.