LOS ANGELES – After spending the previous 2 ½ hours defending Kevin Durant, draining 3s and absorbing physical hits, Lakers guard Marcus Smart walked as if he didn’t experience any enduring pain.

In his 13 NBA season, the 32-year-old Smart surely feels those aches immediately on the court, afterwards in the locker room, and the following morning in bed. But Smart played a key role in the Lakers’ 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday, partly because he knows how to manage that job description.

After experiencing varying injuries the previous two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies (2023-25) and Washington Wizards (2025), Smart spoke briefly with EssentiallySports about his improved durability. Smart also dished on LeBron James’ fight with Father Time and how Luka Dončić (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique strain) are handling their recent absences.

Given your previous injury history, what enables you to play with physicality and absorb the physicality?

Smart: “I take it personally. You got to take care of that in that weight room. Get in the weight room and try your best. I’m trying to take care of my body even more. I’m trying to minimize those certain type of injuries. Every day, I’m getting work in the weight room with the staff and making sure my body is ready to take all of it on.”
How do you explain LeBron’s finishing and dunking at this stage of his career?

Smart: “Right now, he’s getting work. He’s staying here. He’s the last guy to leave the gym. We talk about his work ethic and how much he spends on his body. There’s a reason why he’s able to do this.”

What have Luka and AR’s spirits been while they’re out?

 Smart: “They’ve been great. They’re very encouraging. I’m looking at Luka and AR on the bench when I do something or I see something and see what they see. Then I’m getting their input. Their spirits are high. They’re coaching us. They’re over there cheering us on. When you’ve got those guys doing that even though they’re out, it helps the spirits a lot.”

What’s your message to them knowing that they obviously want to play, but that they’re dealing with sensitive injuries?

Smart: “All I can say man is that I’ve been in that situation where you don’t want to rush back. As much as we would love to have you, at the end of the day, man, take your time. Both of you guys. If you can play, play. But it’s not worth it for you to push right now, if it’s not nowhere near to be able to sustain what the playoffs come with.”

How Smart helped the Lakers in Game 2

Smart dominated on offense: 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting and 5-for-7 from deep and seven assists. Smart also dominated on defense: five steals.

On the first play of the game, Smart picked up Durant at halfcourt and forced a turnover. Within the first four minutes of the game, Smart already made two 2s and recorded two steals. Smart maintained that effort through the rest of the game. Smart also dealt with relentless physicality while being called for questionable fouls.

Smart drew a charge on Rockets forward Tari Eason, only to be called for a block. Smart was given another foul while Rockets center Alperen Sengün jumped on his back. Smart collected a third foul despite Durant charging into him.

No matter. Smart had what Lakers coach JJ Redick called a “killer game” after he spoke to him following the Lakers’ three-game losing streak while Dončić and Reaves first sat.

“Because of the voice that he has,” Redick said, “he can help create the belief and confidence in our group.”

That’s because Smart made nine other NBA playoff appearances (2015-2023) and one Finals stint (2022) during his time with the Boston Celtics.

Said James: “He’s battle tested and not afraid of the moment.”

James turned back the clock

 To start the game, James sprinted from halfcourt to the basket with the same quickness he showed during his prime on chasedown blocks. To end the game, James threw down both a reverse dunk and a two-handed dunk.

“I don’t even know what that was about,” James said, shaking his head afterwards. “I got to sit the hell down.”

James finished with 28 points, eight assists and seven assists in 39 minutes by playing like someone in his prime instead of at age 41. He went 10-for-14 from the free-throw line, which captured James’ effectiveness with both attacking the basket and drawing fouls. He played 39 minutes, which revealed James’ high energy level.

James surely benefitted with having a day of recovery (Sunday) and two days of practices (Monday, Tuesday) between Games 1 and 2. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. After accepting and thriving as an off-the-ball facilitator and rebounder when Dončić and Reaves played, James appears comfortable with increasing his workload.

Through two playoff games, James has found a sweet spot with leading the team in shot attempts while still overseeing a balanced offense. That has enabled him not to force the issue to compensate for the Dončić and Reaves absences. That has also helped him to make so many energetic plays as if he’s 23 years old instead of playing in his 23 NBA season.

“I’m trying to live in the moment,” James said. “I don’t know how many more opportunities I get to play in the postseason in my career.”

The Lakers managed Durant and Şengün reasonably fine

 After missing Game 1 with a right knee contusion, Durant appeared limited differently.

Though Durant finished with 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting, the Lakers played a role in him playing inefficiently. He scored only three points in the second half on a one-for-five clip. He shot 1-for-4 from 3-point range. He committed nine turnovers. Meanwhile, Şengün posted 20 points on 9-for-20 shooting, but he had only six points in the first half.

Just like when the Lakers beat Houston in March, they sent various defenders at Durant with various approaches. Smart picked Durant up at either full or half court. The Lakers double teamed him in hopes to limit his shots and force bad passes. Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton and Jackson Hayes took turns limited Sengün’s looks inside.

The Lakers aren’t going to run a victory lap over those developments. They dreadfully anticipate that Durant and/or Sengün will have bounce-back performances in Games 3, 4, and possibly beyond. But their relentlessly aggressive and evolving defensive coverages helped offset the Rockets’ vast offensive rebounding discrepancy (17-9). Ironically, Houston dominated that category partly because it missed so many shots (40% from field, 24% from 3).

“It’s still a tall challenge,” James said of Durant before taking a playful dig at him. “It’s seven-foot tall, too. I know he doesn’t like it. He hates that. He’s going to get mad at me if he sees that. He wants to be 6-10 or 6-9 so bad. But he’s seven feet for sure.”

Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura are more comfortable with bigger workloads

Normally, both Kennard and Hachimura are more accustomed toward playing games in the 30-minute range with only a handful of shot attempts. But with Dončić and Reaves out, Redick has told Kennard and Hachimura to look for more shots aggressively and worry less about their percentages.

Hachimura finished with 13 points while shooting 5-for-10 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep in 43 minutes. Kennard added 23 points on an 8-for-13 clip and 3-for-6 mark from 3 in 42 minutes. Their productions still stem from the Lakers’ ball movement and open-court opportunities. Hence, Hachimura and Kennard didn’t force shots. But they also continued to look more comfortable with looking for their own beyond just when they have catch-and-shoot opportunities.

What’s the latest on Dončić and Reaves?

It’s becoming increasingly clear that both players are itching to play. Just before tipoff, Dončić shot a layup and dribble the ball a few times. Though Dončić and Reaves have supported their teammates from the sideline, they look restless as they sit on the bench during the game and stand up during timeouts.

Both will likely have to wait some more, though. Redick said the Lakers haven’t given a timeline yet on their projected return. The Lakers’ medical staff have cleared Reaves to begin some on-court work. They have cleared Dončić to start soon, though it’s not exactly clear when. The Lakers have off on Wednesday, but they plan to practice on Thursday before flying to Houston for Game 3 on Friday.

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.