Rajon Rondo was excellent for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, as he helped them defeat the Houston Rockets in Game 3 of their second-round playoff matchup. That's now two consecutive games that the veteran point guard has made a significant impact for the Lakers, which has made the “Playoff Rondo” hype train as popular as ever.
However, if you ask him, Rondo himself is not exactly buying into the hype:
I asked Rondo about 'Playoff Rondo’ in the @SpectrumSN walkoff interview: “I don’t buy into it.” He said it’s more about getting minutes from the coaching staff, and his teammates playing off him. But … he definitely just played his 2 best games of the season back to back. https://t.co/w15KRTFMke
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 9, 2020
Rondo does have a point here, but it's hard not to jump on the “Playoff Rondo” bandwagon considering how he just logged arguably his two best performances for the Lakers after an up-and-down regular season. What makes this even more impressive is how the former NBA champ is coming off a lengthy injury layoff. Rondo made his playoff debut in Game 1 against Houston, which followed a six-month hiatus for the 34-year-old.
Rondo looked as good as ever on Tuesday, finishing with 21 points on a very efficient 8-of-11 shooting. He added nine assists, two rebounds, and a steal in 30 quality minutes off the bench. The Lakers veteran even drained three out of his five attempts from deep to round out a tremendous performance for the four-time All-Star.
Rajon Rondo played a huge role in the Lakers' Game 3 win, helping his side hold off a resilient Rockets group. L.A. is now up 2-1 in the series and will look to make it three straight wins when these two teams face off again on Thursday for Game 4.