Houston beat the Lakers 115-96 on Sunday night without Kevin Durant, and every Rockets starter scored at least 16 points. Amen Thompson had 23, Tari Eason 20, Alperen Sengun 19, Reed Sheppard 17, and Jabari Smith Jr. 16. [1]
This was supposed to be the Lakers' closing argument. On Sunday, the paper framed Game 4 as a sweep watch and roster-construction legitimacy test. Monday's major audits the Lakers' injury ledger; this brief preserves the Houston side of the ledger.
The anti-superteam evidence is simple. The Rockets' most expensive star sat for a third game, and the team survived through balance. AP's account notes the Durant absence and the five-starter scoring floor; Yahoo's Lakers-side account shows how completely Los Angeles failed to punish it, making just five of 22 threes. [1][2]
X found the viral image in Durant waving after Deandre Ayton's ejection. That is good theater. The better basketball fact is that Houston won the non-Durant minutes not by pretending star power does not matter, but by showing what roster depth can buy when the star is unavailable.
One game does not defeat the superstar economy. It does put a receipt beside the counterargument. If every starter can score, defend, and survive an elimination night, depth is not a slogan. It is an asset class.
-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos