The Lakers held a light Saturday session at Crypto.com Arena ahead of Sunday's Game 4 against Houston, up 3-0 in the West first round, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves listed questionable. [1] Doncic is managing back tightness; Reaves is on the hamstring report. The team that won Friday's overtime in Houston without either of them has the option of closing the series on Sunday with whatever pieces clear morning shootaround.
Game 3 was the result the league did not expect. LeBron James hit a late three to force overtime; Marcus Smart contributed eight points, three of them in the closing minute; Rui Hachimura played through a knee. The Lakers won 112-108. The Rockets, the second seed in the West, with Kevin Durant on a max contract and a roster constructed explicitly to beat the Lakers, are now one game from being swept by their target.
The Sunday question is not whether Houston can win one game; the Sunday question is what kind of legitimacy verdict a sweep delivers on a roster built this expensively for this matchup. The Lakers do not need Doncic to play to advance — they need him to play to play through the second round. [2]
Saturday is for treatment, film, and quiet. The closeout is the next day, and the schedule has it set. [3]
-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos