Player Grades: Lakers vs. Rockets

Across the regular season, the crowd at Lakers games does not rank among the best in the league.

The lion’s share of the blame falls on ownership for pricing out the common, diehard fans and replacing them with fans who too often view the game as a status symbol rather than a chance to root on a team they’re a fan of. LA is still capable of drawing crowds that generate fervor, especially in the playoffs.

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Saturday was a prime example. With the team squarely viewed as an underdog, the fans got behind the underdog Lakers and created a great environment. I would still say they need to put on the damn shirts given out to make the atmosphere even better, but I’ll settle for them creating a real homecourt advantage on Saturday.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

38 minutes, 19 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 9-15 FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-2 FT, +11

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From the opening tip, LeBron was locked in. His eight assists in the first quarter and 10 assists in the first half both were career highs. He wasn’t the highest scorer, but he absolutely controlled this game from start to finish for the Lakers.

Grade: A

Rui Hachimura

42 minutes, 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 6-10 FG, 2-4 3PT, +7

This was a bit of an adventurous one for Rui. He had a couple rough moments, including late in the first half. But he also had some very timely buckets, including a three in the third quarter and a contested pull-up midrange jumper early in the fourth quarter.

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His 42 minutes probably aren’t a big surprise. Considering how much size the Rockets have and the role LeBron is playing, he’s going to need to play big minutes.

Grade: B+

35 minutes, 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-10 FG, 3-3 FT, +7

What a fantastic game for Ayton and, hopefully, a real tone-setter for him this series. The Lakers need him to win this series and they got a great game from him on their biggest stage yet.

They need him…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/player-grades-lakers-vs-rockets-055430573.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-19 05:54:00

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