Marcus Smart says Lakers must 'be willing to run through a wall' in Game 6 - BERITAJA

Marcus Smart knows what it feels for illustration to beryllium connected the different side. The past clip the Lakers defender was successful the playoffs, he was helping the Boston Celtics large wind backmost from a three-game shortage successful the Eastern Conference finals to unit a near-historic Game 7.

Now he’s watched the Lakers’ seemingly insurmountable three-games-to-none bid lead dwindle to 3-2 aft a 99-93 nonaccomplishment to the Houston Rockets connected Wednesday astatine Crypto.com Arena. Smart isn’t flinching.

Whether defending a three-game lead aliases coming backmost from one, Smart knows the mindset is the same.

“We really sewage to virtually spell retired location and beryllium fresh to die,” Smart said Wednesday aft the Lakers grounded to adjacent retired the Rockets for the 2nd consecutive game. “... When I was connected the different end, that was our motto: beryllium consenting to tally done a wall and sacrifice your assemblage for the betterment of the team. And that’s what we’re going to do now.”

Lakers defender Marcus Smart knocks the shot distant from Rockets defender Amen Thompson during Game 5 astatine Crypto.Com Arena connected Wednesday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

NBA teams are 159-0 pinch a 3-0 lead successful a best-of-seven playoff series. Only 4 person moreover pushed it to the decisive Game 7. Smart’s 2023 Boston Celtics, erstwhile they clawed backmost against the Miami Heat successful the Eastern Conference Finals, mislaid Game 7 astatine location aft prima Jayson Tatum turned his ankle connected the first play of the game.

Hoping to debar joining the historical list, the Lakers get a 3rd effort astatine vanquishing the Rockets for bully successful Game 6 connected Friday astatine 6:30 p.m. PDT astatine Houston’s Toyota Center.

“Once we get connected that level and caput down to Houston, we sewage to hide about it and understand what we are going for,” said LeBron James, who had 25 points and 7 assists Friday. “It’s going to beryllium moreover harder. Every crippled is hard. It’s truthful difficult to adjacent retired a squad successful the postseason, to triumph a series, and this is our first clip doing it arsenic a unit.”

The Lakers built a three-game lead successful the bid contempt playing without starring scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves successful the first 4 games. Reaves returned from a Grade 2 near oblique musculus strain Friday, scoring 22 points connected four-of-16 shooting pinch six assists, but his beingness couldn’t extremity the gradual diminution of the Lakers offense.

The Lakers person grounded to scope 100 points successful each of the past 2 games. From shooting 53.9% from the section and 51.7% from 3 successful the first 10 quarters of the series, they person changeable conscionable 44.6% from the section and 29.2% from 3 successful the past 10, excluding overtime of Game 3.

Luke Kennard, a flamethrower who scored 50 points successful the first 2 games, has scored conscionable 8 successful the past two. He was scoreless from the section Wednesday, including 2 missed three-pointers. A 91.2% free-throw shooter, Kennard moreover missed a free throw.

On the different hand, Houston has recovered its rhythm. The Rockets made 38.7% of their shots successful the first 10 quarters — Games 1 and 2 and the first half of Game 3 — and person changeable 46.3% successful the 10 quarters since, excluding the Game 3 overtime period. Their three-point shooting has jumped from 30.9% to 34.1%.

“We conscionable sewage to make shots,” Smart said of the offense’s struggles. “... And we’re not giving ourselves a chance by turning the shot over, which we can’t get a changeable up connected the rim because of that.”

The Lakers had 15 turnovers that resulted successful 18 Rockets points Wednesday. The crippled started slipping distant successful the 2nd 4th erstwhile they had 5 turnovers pinch the Rockets scoring 9 points disconnected the miscues. The Lakers fto their 11-point first-quarter lead move into a four-point halftime deficit.

Smart, who was asked to grip much ball-handling responsibilities while Doncic and Reaves were injured, had six turnovers and conscionable 2 assists Friday. He called them “unacceptable.”

Rockets halfway Alperen Sengun yells retired for the shot while Lakers defender Marcus Smart pressures the shot hander during Game 5 astatine Crypto.com Arena connected Wednesday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“The turnovers travel successful each shapes and sizes, and it’s about limiting them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And you surely person to springiness your guys state to make hoops plays. I would opportunity successful wide though, turnovers of aggression are OK; turnovers of passivity are not.”

The Rockets only averaged 8.5 steals per crippled during the regular season, but had 2 players successful the NBA’s apical 10 successful full steals pinch guards Reed Sheppard (sixth, 122 full steals) and Amen Thompson (eighth, 119). They had 3 and 4 steals, respectively, successful Game 5.

A protect play from Sheppard stifled the Lakers’ precocious comeback. The Lakers trimmed a 13-point lead to 3 successful little than 3 minutes. The cheer from the sold-out crowd astatine Crypto.com Arena was deafening erstwhile James kissed a near handed layup disconnected the solid to propulsion the Lakers to wrong 1 possession pinch 2:59 left.

Sheppard instantly responded pinch a midrange jumper past picked James’ pouch connected the adjacent Lakers possession, going coast-to-coast for a two-handed dunk that pushed the lead backmost to 7 pinch 2:20 remaining.

The crowd went silent.

The Lakers had that aforesaid stunning effect connected a roadworthy crowd already this bid erstwhile they stormed backmost from a six-point shortage successful little than 30 seconds successful Game 3. The imaginable of doing it again pinch moreover larger stakes brought an excited smirk to Smart’s face.

“We knew this was going to beryllium a reliable series,” Smart said. “I deliberation everybody knew that, and it’s turning retired to beryllium precisely what we expected. And now the nosy begins.”