Rockets' shooting woes exposed in loss to Lakers

LeBron James blocked Houston's Alperen Sengun in the final seconds of the Lakers' 104-98 victory. It's fitting that the signature moment down the stretch was a Rockets shot not going in because that might be their biggest struggle going into the postseason.

The Rockets have the NBA's No. 4 defense, but their shooting is subpar. They're 24th in field-goal percentage, 23rd in three-point percentage and 28th in two-point percentage. On Monday, they shot 41.6 percent, and for the last eight minutes, the Rockets went 3-of-13 with four turnovers.

One weakness that the Lakers exposed is the Rockets' reliance on two smaller guards offensively. Leading scorer Jalen Green and No. 3 scorer Fred VanVleet are vulnerable to bigger defenders, something that the Lakers have with their backcourt of Luka Doncic and 6-foot-5 Austin Reaves. Backup point guard Gabe Vincent is only 6-foot-2, but he's 15 pounds heavier than Green.

The Rockets' backcourt duo was a combined 6-of-27 Monday night. Down the stretch, the team had to rely on Dillon Brooks, who missed five shots and a free throw in the fourth quarter. When games slow down in the playoffs, Green is Houston's best choice to get his shot, but he's not very efficient, shooting 35.2 percent from three-point range and 42.5 percent overall.

It's unlikely the Rockets will have to face the Lakers until the second round of the playoffs, but the Lakers have created a blueprint for slowing down the Rockets, especially late in games. If Green is shooting well, they're good, but when their emergency option is Brooks, that's bad news.

The Rockets have 10 days to figure it out before a rematch with the Lakers on April 11. Houston's defense still looks great, but it needs the offense to pull its weight if it wants to win a playoff series.