{"id":1914567,"date":"2026-05-02T18:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1914567"},"modified":"2026-05-02T18:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T15:00:18","slug":"how-deandre-ayton-marcus-smart-helped-lakers-oust-rockets-playoffs-are-where-it-counts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1914567","title":{"rendered":"How Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart helped Lakers oust Rockets: \u2018Playoffs (are) where it counts\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

HOUSTON \u2014 The two castoffs were triumphant in the Toyota Center visiting locker room.<\/p>\n

On Friday, they helped the Los Angeles Lakers close the door on their first-round series with the Houston Rockets.<\/p>\n

But 10 months ago, they were unemployed. The Portland Trail Blazers had bought out center Deandre Ayton\u2019s contract; the Wizards had bought out guard Marcus Smart\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Last year, the Lakers had an unbalanced and incomplete roster. Last July, the Lakers added Ayton and Smart in the offseason following an upset loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 Western Conference quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Yet, even this year, with Ayton and Smart, this was a Lakers team that tried to lower expectations by referring to an imperfect roster around stars Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and LeBron James. But Ayton and Smart represented the kind of boom-or-bust risks that a team like the Lakers needed to take. Ayton and Smart had positional size and the kind of pedigree that offers players like them additional chances.<\/p>\n

The Lakers needed defense and a plan to help Ayton focus. In Los Angeles, Smart and Ayton have their lockers next to each other, a nod to how the 32-year-old Smart helps keep the 27-year-old Ayton locked in.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

After the Lakers\u2019 98-78 series-clinching Game 6 road win against the Rockets, Ayton and Smart were getting ready for postgame media. It was decided that Ayton would speak at his locker, while Smart would go to the podium.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody gotta go,\u201d Smart told Ayton. \u201cSomebody gotta take a charge. Let me take a charge. I might block it. But I\u2019ll take a charge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayton looked at Smart and said: \u201cYou took a lot of them things today, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayton was telling the truth: Smart did what Smart does, drawing three Houston offensive fouls in Game 6, including one on Rockets All-Star Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn. Houston unsuccessfully challenged, costing the Rockets their second challenge and a timeout.<\/p>\n

No team drew more charges in the regular season than the Lakers, and no Laker drew more charges individually than Smart, whose 20 charges drawn trailed only Jalen Brunson (29) and Brandin Podziemski (23) during the regular season. Smart\u2019s three charges drawn in Game 6 were more than any other player has drawn so far for the entire postseason. He has drawn four charges in this year\u2019s playoffs, while Portland\u2019s Toumani Camara (two) is the only other player with more than one.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Smart had two steals to go with the charges. He also had two blocks. But he doesn\u2019t normally have two of those. Smart got Amen Thompson in the first half before adding a third-quarter block of Tari Eason that required Smart to jump higher than he probably had all season, peeling off of Thompson to meet Eason at the rim. That one got Ayton out of his seat on the bench.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Marcus loads up like that in the low man, you know, it really ignites us,\u201d Ayton said of Smart\u2019s block of Eason. \u201cThat was a moment right there, with multiple efforts, putting out fires. Probably wasn\u2019t even Marcus\u2019 position to be as a low man. But he\u2019s looking for his brother, looking out for his bro, low man on the island.\u201d<\/p>\n

I asked Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, what plays he was most proud of defensively between the charges and the blocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d probably say the block was my favorite,\u201d Smart told The Athletic<\/i>. \u201cI was down there, low man. And I had two defenders. And I made a choice. It could have been ugly, it could\u2019ve been going the other way. But it was a big momentum for the team. It got us really going.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got out on the break. And that\u2019s just demoralizing. Guy\u2019s taking charges, and then one of the smallest guys on the court is also getting up to protect the rim? That\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Smart was making the splash plays defensively in Game 6, Ayton closed out a workmanlike series with a game-high 16 rebounds, adding a second-quarter block of \u015eeng\u00fcn as well that forced one of three Rockets shot clock violations. Of Ayton\u2019s 16 boards, 13 of his rebounds came after missed Rockets shots, while Houston was held to single-digit offensive rebounds (eight) for the second consecutive game despite the Rockets making only 35 percent from the field. It was an effort that Smart did not want to go unnoticed.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just proud of D.A. man, big time,\u201d Smart told The Athletic<\/i>. \u201cI know everybody\u2019s giving D.A. a lot of s\u2014, but we know what he\u2019s capable of. When he\u2019s locked in, we know that D.A.\u2019s gonna be dominating for us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re happy to have him on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayton has been playing with a massive chip on his shoulder. The first pick in the 2018 draft, selected two spots ahead of current All-Star teammate Luka Don\u010di\u0107, Ayton has carried high expectations since the Phoenix Suns selected him out of the University of Arizona. Like Smart, Ayton has played (and lost) in an NBA Finals with the team that drafted him.<\/p>\n

But Ayton\u2019s exits from the Suns in 2023 and the Trail Blazers last year were unceremonious, putting Ayton on a contract in Los Angeles, where he has an $8.1 million player option this offseason. Ayton made it clear that he is playing for more than just the name on the front of his Lakers jersey. He has a hunger to change his own perception in the NBA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am attacking me,\u201d Ayton told The Athletic<\/i>. \u201cI gotta change the narrative of me<\/i>, you know what I\u2019m saying? People talk s\u2014 about D.A. I already know my job with the Lakers. I do my job, and I\u2019m on to the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayton has said all season that he just wanted to get to the playoffs and prove he was a difference-maker. Now that the Lakers are in the semifinals, Ayton isn\u2019t discounting the importance of the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayoffs is where it counts, and sometimes you just have to have that grit of saying, \u2018Bro, f\u2014 however we get it, let\u2019s just die<\/i> about it,’\u201d Ayton told The Athletic<\/i>. \u201cYou know how much s\u2014 we\u2019ve gone through this series from Game 1? They kicked our asses and went home, stole one from us? That s\u2014 hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u015eeng\u00fcn, who absorbed a forearm to the head in Game 4 from Ayton that resulted in a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 and Ayton\u2019s ejection, came up to greet Ayton after Game 6 to wish him well. \u015eeng\u00fcn made only 14-of-34 shots in the series in Ayton\u2019s coverage, per NBA Advanced Stats. That effort isn\u2019t lost on Ayton.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI know I got to take care of games and help the Lakers win,\u201d Ayton said. \u201cGoing out there, being one of the best two ways on the floor, altering \u015eeng\u00fcn\u2019s shots. You know, making it difficult for him. I\u2019m not going to say I stopped him. That (guy\u2019s) a real All-Star. I\u2019d just say, I altered his shots, contested his shots, tried my best.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made me work. I thought I was making him work; he made my ass work. So yeah, he deserves much respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rockets may have been in the Lakers\u2019 way. However, this Lakers team folded so thoroughly last year against the Timberwolves that only five players played in an entire second half for a game: Don\u010di\u0107, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, current Rocket Dorian Finney-Smith, and Rui Hachimura. Center Jaxson Hayes, now Ayton\u2019s backup, was deemed unplayable against the Timberwolves.<\/p>\n

This year, Smart replaced Jordan Goodwin, while Ayton essentially replaced former Suns lottery pick Alex Len. Even with Don\u010di\u0107 missing the series and Reaves missing the first four games, the Lakers benefitted from a normal allocation of depth. Ayton and Smart were major parts of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know, we understand the playoff is a different game,\u201d said Hachimura, the only Laker other than James who played in each game of last year\u2019s postseason and so far this postseason, to The Athletic<\/i>. \u201cThe physicality is the number one thing. Being physical has literally changed the whole game. And I think Marcus, start with Marcus, and D.A., just the presence makes it a lot different.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we understand how important those two, especially Marcus, are, bringing everything every night. He\u2019s got like five charges, that\u2019s unreal play that the people don\u2019t talk about enough, but that\u2019s really big.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s on to Oklahoma City Tuesday for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The assignment changes specifically for Smart and Ayton. Smart will be charged with guarding the reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Ayton will face bigs Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, who are different than \u015eeng\u00fcn, and All-Star power forward Chet Holmgren, who often plays center. Ayton is looking forward to not getting \u201cbeat up\u201d with as many elbows in his ribs and shoulders.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe got OKC \u2014 now, it ain\u2019t nobody in the post,\u201d Ayton said. \u201cWe\u2019re guarding one through five. \u2026 My energy might have to be on scoring. Put some energy on just being a big, big target.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lakers have three days to get ready for the shift that comes with transitioning from the Rockets to the Thunder. That the Lakers were able to close a series without needing 100 points is a testament to the personnel added to give their defense a chance in the postseason. Houston had more turnovers (14) than assists (13) in Game 6 while missing 30 of 36 shots outside of the paint and attempting only 24 free throws. The Lakers had seven more offensive rebounds than Houston and forced three more turnovers to win the possession battle soundly in Game 6. Ayton\u2019s size and Smart\u2019s tenacity played a major role in that.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefense and multiple efforts, that\u2019s all we\u2019re here for,\u201d Ayton said of himself and Smart. \u201cDefense, closing our possessions, adding that grit to the team. And you let the rest of the superstars do their thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s been the goal all along.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes us feel good,\u201d Smart told The Athletic<\/i>. \u201cIt makes us feel that, when we\u2019re locked in like that and everybody\u2019s clicking, we can do some damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not perfect, but to have everybody count you out and come out there and put on that type of performance means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

a.showcase-link-container {
\n display: flex;
\n gap: 20px;
\n flex-direction: column;
\n align-items: center;
\n padding: 20px 0px;
\n border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);
\n border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);
\n text-decoration: none;
\n color: #121212;
\n cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n

.showcase-link {
\n font-family: nyt-franklin;
\n font-size: 14px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 700;
\n line-height: 13.8px;
\n letter-spacing: 1.1px;
\n text-transform: uppercase;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-image {
\n border-radius: 8px;
\n object-fit: cover;
\n width: 200px;
\n height: 150px;
\n margin: 0px;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n width: 120px;
\n height: 120px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-inner-content {
\n display: flex;
\n flex-direction: row;
\n gap: 16px;
\n width: 100%;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-text-content {
\n display: flex;
\n flex-direction: column;
\n gap: 20px;
\n justify-content: center;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n gap: 8px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-title {
\n font-family: nyt-cheltenham;
\n font-size: 24px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 500;
\n line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/
\n letter-spacing: 0.01px;
\n text-overflow: ellipsis;
\n overflow: hidden;
\n display: -webkit-box;
\n -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
\n -webkit-line-clamp: 3;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n font-size: 16px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-excerpt {
\n font-family: nyt-imperial;
\n font-size: 16px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 400;
\n line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/
\n color: #323232;
\n text-overflow: ellipsis;
\n overflow: hidden;
\n display: -webkit-box;
\n -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
\n -webkit-line-clamp: 4;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n font-size: 12px;
\n line-height: 121%;
\n }
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-inputs {
\n .showcase-link-input {
\n width: 100%;
\n font-size: 1rem;
\n background-color: white;
\n margin-bottom: 12px;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-indent {
\n margin-left: 25px;
\n }<\/p>\n

option {
\n width: 100%;
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
\n .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {
\n background-color: #121212;
\n color: #f0f0ee;
\n .showcase-link-excerpt {
\n color: #c4c4c0;
\n }
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

\/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click
\n document.querySelectorAll(‘.showcase-link-image’).forEach((img) => img.removeAttribute(‘onclick’));<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"LeBron<\/p>\n
\n
\n LeBron James owned the moment, and in the end, the Houston Rockets\n <\/div>\n
\n The Rockets entered Game 6 with momentum. By the time the game ended, James and the Lakers had won and quieted the Houston crowd.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2014 The two castoffs were triumphant in the Toyota Center visiting locker room. On Friday, they helped the Los Angeles Lakers close the door on their first-round series with the Houston Rockets. But 10 months ago, they were unemployed. The Portland Trail Blazers had bought out center Deandre Ayton\u2019s contract; the Wizards had bought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1914567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1914567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1914567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1914567\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1914567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1914567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1914567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}