Tari Eason followed a perfect start to the postseason with a quieter night Tuesday, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block as the Rockets lost 101-94 to the Lakers in Game 2 of their first-round Western Conference series.
Eason played 27 minutes and shot 4-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range, a sharp drop from Saturday’s Game 1 when he went 7-for-7 from the field. Houston has kept Josh Okogie in the starting lineup for back-to-back playoff games, and the Rockets appear content with Eason in a reserve role for now. That setup leaves Eason still involved, but not yet in the position he may have envisioned when the playoffs began.
The contrast between the first two games captures where Houston is right now. Eason can provide a burst off the bench, but the Rockets have leaned toward stability in the starting five, and Okogie’s recent run there suggests that arrangement is likely to continue as the series moves on.
For Eason, the next game is less about proving he belongs in the rotation and more about whether he can turn another strong stretch into something the Rockets cannot ignore.
