Amen Thompson pointed to tempo, decision-making, and defensive lapses as key factors after the Houston Rockets dropped Game 1 of their first-round series 107-98 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“We thought we were getting into stuff slow. I thought we could have been faster,” Thompson said. “Yeah, I wanted us to be faster.”
The Rockets struggled to consistently generate early offense against a disciplined Lakers defense that forced Houston into half-court sets. Thompson stressed pace as a clear adjustment point heading into Game 2.
“Just get it out off makes, off misses, get it out,” he said. “When me and Reed are in there, playing fast is to our advantage. So just doing that I feel like it’s going to change a lot.”
Offensively, Houston often ran into traffic at the rim against a set Lakers defense. Thompson acknowledged the difficulty of those reads in real time.
“I would go up sometimes when they were,” Thompson said. “Kick out and I saw the open man, I would kick it.”
He also noted physicality around the basket and hinted at frustration with officiating consistency without dwelling on it.
“I felt like I was getting fouled a lot of times,” Thompson said. “They weren’t calling it. Got to keep my head in the game. Move on to the next play.”
Defensively, Thompson was directly impacted by Luke Kennard’s breakout performance, as the Lakers guard scored a career playoff-high 27 points on efficient shooting.
“That was my matchup and he went off,” Thompson said. “I got to be better than that.”
Kennard’s spacing and shot-making forced Houston’s rotations into recovery mode, something Thompson acknowledged needed immediate correction.
“We know what Kennard could do today, but I got to be more locked in for that matchup,” he said.
The Rockets also had to navigate LeBron James’ playmaking, especially early, when the Lakers star piled up assists while reading Houston’s coverage.
“We know he’s trying to facilitate out the post more,” Thompson said. “Just being physical.”
On Houston’s half-court execution, Thompson emphasized better decision-making against collapsed defenses, particularly on drives into the paint.
“Got to be smarter sometimes,” he said. “I can’t be driving into crowds over and over and over. They’re not going to reward me.”
Despite the loss, Thompson pushed back on the idea that nerves played a role in the outcome.
“I can’t speak for anybody but myself. I know I didn’t have jitters,” he said.
He also defended teammate Reed Sheppard, who struggled with efficiency but remained a key part of Houston’s spacing strategy.
“I like the shots he was taking,” Thompson said. “We need Reed to do that.”
Looking ahead to Game 2, Thompson focused on urgency and pace as the Rockets try to even the series.
“We got multiple more games,” he said. “We’re going to talk about it.”
