Podcast: How the Lakers evened their first-round series

The Lakers did their job by stealing one game in Phoenix before heading back home to Los Angeles and seem to have reset the terms of the series. On the latest episode of “I Love Basketball” on the Silver Screen & Roll podcast network, Jas Kang and Sabreena Merchant attempt to explain how the Lakers controlled Game 2 and what they expect to continue in the rest of the series.

They start with the 180 from Anthony Davis, who dominated in a way that was reminiscent of his 2020 playoff run on both ends of the floor. They then spend some time on the center rotation as a whole, and discuss whether Marc Gasol will be a fixture at backup center going forward as well as how Montrezl Harrell will continue to play a role.

They then get into the overall defensive effort, and what problems the Lakers still have to address with regards to Devin Booker and the pick-and-roll. There’s also a brief “is Chris Paul likable” interlude before Jas and Sabreena get into predictions for the rest of the series. They each identify what they’re looking for in the next game and share some of their observations of the rest of the Western Conference playoff bracket.

You can listen to the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

You can follow your hosts on Twitter at @jaskang21 and @sabreenajm.