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Marcus Smart stepped up to meet Kevin Durant at three-quarters court. The Lakers guard reached and poked the ball away. Instead of letting the lanky, nearly 7-foot Durant corral the loose ball, the 6-foot-3 Smart dove to secure it for himself.
The Crypto.com Arena crowd jumped to its feet.
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From the opening minute to the final horn, Smart set the tone for the Lakers on Tuesday, 25 points, draining five threes, with seven assists and five steals during the Lakers’ 101-94 Game 2 win over the Houston Rockets. The Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series to Houston for Game 3 on Friday, when the Lakers will try to end a streak of nine consecutive road playoff losses.
LeBron James, in his record-tying 19th postseason, is the Lakers’ most influential player this postseason. But even without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the team is not short on leadership. The Lakers have six players who have played in the NBA Finals, including Smart and center Deandre Ayton.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart celebrates with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves after making a three-pointer during the fourth quarter of Game 2 of their NBA playoff game on Tuesday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“Being in big moments for those guys is not a new thing,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Smart, he just had a killer game today.”
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The playoff stage was all Smart knew when he began his career in Boston. He played in the Eastern Conference finals four times with the Celtics and once in the NBA Finals. The season he was traded to Memphis, the Celtics won the NBA title.
Instead of celebrating Boston’s 18th championship, Smart languished between injuries and irrelevancy. He played just 54 games in two seasons with Memphis and Washington, two teams that were closer to the draft lottery than any home-court advantage. The Wizards bought out his contract last summer.
“I could have been out the league, right?” Smart said. “… So to be able to be back on this stage again, making the plays that I’m making with these guys, with this team, this organization, I’m just grateful.”
Lakers guard Marcus Smart sits on the…
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Publish date : 2026-04-22 14:29:00
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