Lakers look to get up to speed vs. Rockets: 5 takeaways from Game 1

ORLANDO, Fla. —  LeBron James said what the Lakers learned about the Houston Rockets was how their speed looked up close.

He offered a football analogy to make his case.

“It’s kind of like the early 2000s, when the St. Louis Rams — the Greatest Show on Turf,” James said. “And people always said how you’d scout ‘em and scout ‘em and scout ‘em. Until they got on the field and they seen Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk and Az Hakim and all those guys and then it was, ‘OK, we need to play them again.’ There’s no way you can simulate that speed, so getting out on the floor and having a Game 1, you get a good feel for it.”

His message: The Lakers know what they’re up against and they’ll be able to counter it.

Here are five takeaways from the Lakers’ 112-97 Game 1 loss to the Houston Rockets:

1. The Rockets made an effort to keep Anthony Davis out of the paint and the man with that job was a guy built like a tree trunk: P.J. Tucker. “He tried to just keep me away from the rim,” Davis said. “He tried to beat me off screens and things like that, but that’s their defense. Even when I’m there, they’re front to the post and then they got guys on the backside to try to cover up for them. I think we make a couple more shots it kind of opens it up.” It’s something the Lakers will certainly review and plan for in Game 2 on Sunday.

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Highlights from the Lakers’ loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday.

2. Kyle Kuzma had the worst plus-minus rating of the game, and James had the second worst. Kuzma’s was minus-21 and James’ was minus-15. The Lakers have been insistent that in order for them to meet their championship aspirations, Kuzma will need to be their third-best player. “He had some good looks that he didn’t knock down and it’s a different defense that we’re playing with or playing against,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Your shots are going to come a little bit different than usual and hopefully we get a little more comfortable each game that we play in this series.”

3. If you were surprised that the Houston Rockets were defending as well as they did last night, you haven’t been paying attention to them in the bubble. Their defensive rating has been the best in the league in the playoffs and they allowed the fewest points off turnovers of any team. “All their guys are like-sized and they’re able to switch everything kind of how Golden State does,” Davis said. “Switch everything and then just cover each other. They’re really good with their hands, so when you get to the paint or whatever, they’re really good at stripping the ball away and getting steals and deflections. So you gotta be careful with going to the paint with the ball low, and then the passes or lobs we usually have over the top, they’re real good at coming in and getting their hands on them and deflecting those.”

4. Rebounding was a problem for the Lakers on Friday night, which might come as a surprise since they are generally taller than the Rockets. “A team like that, going small ball, they shouldn’t out-rebound us or get that many offensive rebounds as they did,” Danny Green said. “We gotta do a better job on the glass, boxing them out and limiting them to one shot. They had too many attempts, too many opportunities. They get multiple chances on goal, so we gotta do a better job all around.”

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The Rockets’ Russell Westbrook, left, loses the ball while being defended by the Lakers’ Anthony Davis during Game 1 on Friday night.   (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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The Lakers’ LeBron James, left, and Kyle Kuzma celebrate a play during the first half against the Rockets on Friday.   (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Houston’s James Harden looks to pass while being defended by Lakers center Dwight Howard in the first half on Friday.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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The Rockets’ James Harden drives to the basket as the Lakers’ Markieff Morris (88) looks on in the first half. Harden scored a game-high 36 points.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Lakers coach Frank Vogel directs his team during the first half against Houston on Friday night.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Lakers star LeBron James applauds a first-half play Friday night in the NBA bubble near Orlando, Fla.   (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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The Lakers’ LeBron James throws down a slam during the first half of Game 1 against the Rockets on Friday night.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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James Harden directs the offense for Houston during the first half Friday night.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni watches from the bench during the first half of Game 1 against the Lakers.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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The Lakers’ LeBron James drives to the basket against the Rockets’ James Harden during the second half.   (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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LeBron James reacts after being called for a second-half foul Friday night.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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The Rockets’ James Harden handles the ball as the Lakers’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, middle, and LeBron James defend during the second half.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Houston’s Russell Westbrook passes while being defended by the Lakers’ Markieff Morris in the second half Friday night.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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The Rockets’ Eric Gordon drives for a shot against the Lakers’ Dwight Howard (39) and Kyle Kuzma during the second half.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Houston coach Mike D’Antoni reacts to a second-half call Friday night during Game 1.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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The Lakers’ Markieff Morris is swarmed by the Rockets’ Jeff Green, left, and Austin Rivers during the second half.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

5. It’s not just that the Lakers turned the ball over — their turnovers were high but not the highest they’ve ever had. The bigger problem was they couldn’t get defensive stops after those turnovers. The Rockets average 20.9 points off turnovers in the playoffs, but in Game 1 against the Lakers they had 27.