With Kevin Durant back for Game 2, the Houston Rockets’ offense was supposed to see the spark it lacked in their first outing. Instead, they scored just 94 points. It was the second time that the Lakers, being without Luka Doncic, managed to outperform the Rockets on both sides of the floor. Houston could point to several things that are going wrong. However, KD believes there’s just one difference in this tie.

“We’re just not making shots. We’re not shooting the ball well. We getting good looks. We’re missing a lot of layups,” Durant said about his Rockets.

Because among all the advanced statistics, basketball is the game of putting the ball in the basket. The Rockets are failing to do so, specifically from beyond the arc. Tonight, they hit just seven of their 29 three-point attempts. The Lakers shot it three at a 46.4% clip, nearly doubling Houston’s volume.

“They making threes, and we’re not,” Durant added.

The Rockets haven’t got a single player who’s in rhythm. On the other side, Marcus Smart knocked down five triples for the Lakers today. Over two games, Luke Kennard is 8-11 from beyond the arc. That’s the biggest difference. Because the Rockets have outdone the Lakers in other aspects of the game.

They have better offensive rebounding and second-chance points in this series. Furthermore, the five-seed Rockets have used their athleticism to force turnovers and benefit in transition. It’s just that the three-pointer is the greatest dagger that exists in the modern game. The Rockets haven’t shot over 35% from range over their last four games.

It’s a far cry from their regular-season numbers. The Rockets were the tenth-best shooting team in the league, averaging 11.5 made threes per game as well. But that hasn’t carried over to the postseason yet. It’s important to note that Durant, who only made a single three is still not fully recovered from a knee contusion.

The only logical pathway to gaining momentum from threes is to keep shooting. But the playoffs don’t offer that luxury. The Rockets need to change.

The Houston Rockets need to play to their strengths

Staring at a 0-2 deficit, the time for experimenting and playing modern-day tactics is gone. The Rockets need to play to their strengths. What are those? Well, just see what KD said about their performances over the two games against the Lakers.

“We getting way more shots than them in this series at the rim. Beating them in the possession game. We getting the same amount of threes up. We offensive rebounding well,” said Durant.

The only aspect where the Rockets haven’t found success is with the three-point line. So why force it? The Rockets’ lineup doesn’t present spacing. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. are arguably the only genuine shooters on this team. So if they are struggling, what’s the point in wanting to shoot more?

Here’s a stat that may blow your mind. Over two games, the Rockets have attempted 44 more shots than the Lakers. Yet, they haven’t scored 100 points in this series so far. That’s because the Rockets are trying to match up with the Lakers in terms of shooting. But even if half of those possessions can be turned into successful 2-point makes, it’s a completely different series.

At this point, the Lakers can live with the Rockets having one ballistic shooting performance. It won’t hinder the lead they have built. One way to turn things around is by stunning them. The Rockets have failed to use their size and athleticism to get to the charity stripe. With all the offensive rebounding they do (over 15 in both games), that’s probably where they have underachieved the most.

The Rockets don’t need to follow a blueprint that doesn’t work. It’s about winning one series at a time, each with a different set of challenges. The Rockets have created enough additional possessions that the Lakers’ blazing shooting conversion shouldn’t matter. They just haven’t used the possessions wisely.

The Rockets need to change their mindset. It’s not about making threes, but just making shots. They have intimidating athletes who can bulldoze their way to the rim. It’s time to trust in their innate skills rather than play a system that rarely reaps rewards. At least, with a 0-2 deficit, being mean and scrappy may be the Rockets’ way of coming back in this series.