Though it is hard to break the Lakers’ back at the final leg of the season but the Houston Rockets had a big advantage over the Lakers before the start of the game. The last 10 games of either team reflected that it should be the Rockets’ day to shoot at the LA side. Both Sengun and Steven Adams could out-muscle them and punish them on rebounds. Still, the Lakers went toe-to-toe with the Rockets side. It was all the magic of playing small, an unusual strategy to tackle a bigger lineup. But not when you have JJ Redick studying and making plans to counter the Rockets’ strengths.

Although the Lakers lacked size tonight, Redick decided not to hide their weakness. Jaxson Hayes, the only recognizable center, played just 14 minutes. But it was all part of a scheme that the Lakers’ cerebral head coach designed. Reason? When weak, play the mind. Redick knew the team would be out-rebounded. So he crafted a plan with particular emphasis on battling for boards.

“Well defensively it’s just packing the paint and getting the rebound and I think we did that tonight… That’s how we have to control the glass by committing. This was very explicit if you are on Segun or Adams, you are not going to get the rebound. The job was to box out, somebody’s else’s job was to come in, tip the ball to a teammate, or grab the rebound. We were great with that tonight,” the head coach explained.

But tonight was much more than combating their rebounding flaw.

For JJ Redick, today is when the Los Angeles Lakers turned into a “great” team in his eyes. Or at least he sees how every player has adapted to their duties and is propelling the team to great success. Unlike the traditional, their ‘Big 3′ didn’t fire today. But Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith combined for 40 points. And the Lakers’ head coach believes their dedication to bringing what the team needs is why they were able to come out on top in such a gritty game.

“I have said a couple of times which is on bad teams players reject their roles, on good teams players accept their roles, on great teams, players embrace their roles. We’ve had a number of guys that aren’t the ‘Big 3’ or whatever moniker you want to give to AR, Luka, and Bron. We have a number of guys on our team who have fully embraced their role and it has been the difference to our season,” Redick said about the players’ commitment.

You probably won’t see Vincent and Finney-Smith have such large scoring nights for a while. They are tasked with guarding the best players and restricting opposition offenses. But in the highly physical matchup, their number was called. And under Redick, everybody stays ready for their moment.

Tonight, it was them; it could very well be somebody else tomorrow. But the Lakers are more than just their ‘Big 3’. In a playoff series, that aspect of the game proves to be crucial.

Luka Doncic is now comfortable with the Lakers

The February trade raised many eyebrows about how Dallas boy Doncic will survive without his ‘home’. But it’s finally starting to show. Or maybe it has been since Luka Doncic entered the Lakers organization. He has taken the keys to the franchise, allowing LeBron James to take a back seat at the age of 40. However, there were some doubts. Without a recognized big on the roster, would Doncic flourish?

His dynamic with Hayes and his commitment to the Lakers have proven those were only fears. Doncic isn’t just happy as a Laker, but also delighted with the roster and the way they play.

After a testing win against the Rockets tonight, he stated, “Great very comfortable. You saw today we fought very hard. It was a very physical game and you know we got to play like this every game. If we play like this on the defensive end on offense we didn’t do much outside Gabe and Doe Doe you know. But we shared the ball. We were playing with pace and we just got to play like that,”.

The Slovenian has already become the nucleus of the Lakers’ roster. His ability to make any pass has brought JJ Redick’s system to life. Additionally, the concerns about his defensive woes are also eroding slowly. Luka Doncic can use his large frame to slow opponents down just enough for help to arrive. If it doesn’t, Luka Doncic is allowing just 0.80 points when guarding an isolation.

A win like tonight, against a quality opposition has really boosted the Lakers’ morale. With only seven games before the business end of the season, gaining confidence is crucial. And not only is JJ Redick beginning to form intricate plans, but Doncic and the roster are in sync with the highly active style of play.