Jabari Smith Jr. Says Rockets 'Obviously' Better Than Lakers Despite 3-1 NBA Playoffs Deficit
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. isn't letting the series record influence how he evaluates his team in comparison to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite the Rockets being down 3-1 to L.A., Smith told reporters that Houston is "obviously the better team" in its current NBA playoffs battle.
The Rockets' deficit is somewhat deceiving. The first three games were decided by single digits, with Game 3 going to overtime, before Houston blew out Los Angeles 115-98 on Sunday.
Kevin Durant has also made just one appearance as he deals with an ankle injury, so the team hasn't been at full strength.
The fact the Lakers are without both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves almost bolsters Smith's argument in a way.
In Game 4, Los Angeles coach JJ Redick started with a lineup of LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard. Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes all logged double-digit minutes off the bench.
At the very least, a lineup of Smith, Tari Eason, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard is better in theory than what the Laker are countering with.
But that makes the Rockets' current predicament an even bigger indictment. Houston simply shouldn't be in this position.
It's allowing James to roll back the years and look like the player he was in his 20s when he was carrying some lackluster supporting casts with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Luke Kennard's two best scoring outputs ever in the playoffs came in Games 1 and 2. Marcus Smart was two points away from matching his career high in Game 2.
On paper, the Rockets were generally considered to be the favorites. If they were actually the "better team," though, they wouldn't be on the brink of elimination.
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