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.
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.”
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 floor with the basketball after poking it away from Houston forward Kevin Durant during Game 2 of their NBA playoff series Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
As a free agent, Smart expressed a desire to play for a team with true championship aspirations. Although he was entering his 12th NBA season and coming off nagging injuries, the Lakers still saw Smart as an important addition. The analytics still painted the 2022 defensive player of the year as an effective defender and an efficient secondary playmaker.
His leadership, while unquantifiable, could be even more valuable.
Redick met with Smart in San Francisco two weeks ago when the Lakers were coming off a three-game losing streak. They were emotionally drained from losing their two leading scorers to regular-season ending injuries. They looked like a team with no legitimate path forward in the postseason.
Smart was nursing a right ankle contusion that kept him out of nine games. Redick still went to veteran guard to help focus the group.
“Because he has the voice he has, he can help create the belief and the confidence in our group,” Redick said. “And I think he’s done that.”
The Lakers won their final three regular season games to maintain home-court advantage in the first round over the Rockets. Smart returned for the final two games, dishing out 17 assists while the Lakers tried to keep their offense afloat without Doncic and Reaves.
Read more: Lakers beat Rockets in Game 2 with a new Big Three
But he had just 11 points in the two games and was 2-of-12 from three-point range in three games since returning from the ankle injury. He doubled that number of made threes in the first half of Game 2.
“Constantly, my teammates and coaching staff tell me to be aggressive,” Smart said. “Either that’s for you or for your teammates, but continue to be aggressive. … I’m a Swiss Army knife, so kind of do a little bit of everything.”
With Smart’s unwavering defensive commitment, the Lakers smothered the Rockets in Game 1 and were just as effective in Game 2 when Durant made his series debut after missing the first game because of a right knee contusion. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer had 23 points on seven-for-12 shooting, but committed a playoff career-high nine turnovers. Three of Smart’s five steals came against Durant.
“He’s battle-tested,” James said of Smart. “The guy’s been to the Finals, been in multiple playoff games, big games in his career. So, obviously, he’s not afraid of the moment.”
The Lakers’ two most experienced players created a signature moment in the final minute with the Lakers leading by five. After a Smart steal, James caught the Rockets’ Tari Eason sleeping on defense at the top of the arc and rushed past him. Smart whipped a one-handed bounce pass to the cutting 41-year-old who finished with a soaring dunk. Center Jaxson Hayes waved his arms toward the delirious crowd. Smart pointed toward James.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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