Los Angeles Lakers: 3 areas to improve ahead of Game 2

1. Points in the Paint

Similar to the rebounding battle, the Lakers should have owned the paint on Friday night with their height advantage. During the regular season, they ranked second in the league in points in the paint, coming in at an astounding 52.5 per game.

Houston, on the other hand, was not so reliant on its play down low. They ranked 23rd in the league in the same category this season, finishing at 45.2 points per game in the paint. Houston’s bread and butter come from 3-point territory, obviously, but the most significant storyline from Game 1 was their play in the post.

Houston shockingly outscored Los Angeles in the paint 42-40 in their Game 1 victory, which would typically be universally unheard of. Nevertheless, the Rockets pulled it off and used it to propel themselves to a win.

For the Lakers, down low is where Davis should be thriving in a game against the small-scale Houston Rockets. Although he finished the game with 25 points and 10 rebound his matchup Tucker was very telling.

Tucker guarded Davis 26 times in Game 1, and AD failed to score on any of those possessions. The five-inch height difference proved to be invaluable, as Tucker got the best of Davis repeatedly.

Not only do the Los Angeles Lakers need to tighten up defensively in the post, but they also need to be more productive offensively. If the Rockets outscoring the Lakers in the paint becomes a regular occurrence, Los Angeles could be in trouble.