Regardless of lacking main scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the LA Lakers and LeBron James defeat Houston in opener.
Printed On 19 Apr 2026
Luke Kennard scored a profession playoff-high 27 factors, LeBron James had 19 factors and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalised on Kevin Durant’s harm absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets within the opener of their first-round playoff sequence on Saturday night time.
Deandre Ayton had 19 factors and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off a formidable win with out their high two scorers.
Beneficial Tales
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Each groups performed the opener with out their most vital participant. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out indefinitely with accidents since April 2, whereas Durant was a late scratch with a bruised proper knee.
Los Angeles thrived by hitting 60.6 p.c of its pictures whereas holding the Rockets to 37.6 p.c taking pictures with pesky defence.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 factors, and Jabari Smith Jr had 16 factors and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who completed one sport behind Los Angeles within the common season. Amen Thompson added 17 factors, however Houston’s younger core obtained off to an inconsistent begin after changing into the agency favorite on this sequence because of the Lakers’ harm woes.
Recreation 2 is on Tuesday night time in Los Angeles.
Kennard rallies Lakers in second half
The Lakers acquired Kennard from Atlanta in early February, and the NBA’s most correct 3-point shooter grew to become a key reserve earlier than he seized a serious position over the previous two weeks within the absence of Los Angeles’s beginning backcourt. He hit 4 3-pointers in Recreation 1, whereas making 9 of his first 12 pictures.
Durant should wait at the least yet another sport to make his Rockets playoff debut after banging knees with a teammate in follow on Wednesday. Reed Sheppard took his spot within the beginning lineup and hit 5 3-pointers whereas scoring 17 factors, however the Rockets struggled for constant half-court offence in Durant’s absence regardless of grabbing 21 offensive rebounds.
The Lakers took the lead for good on their first bucket of the second half, they usually pushed their benefit to 16 factors within the fourth quarter. Kennard scored 16 factors after halftime, whereas the 41-year-old James started his nineteenth NBA postseason with an impressed, eight-assist first quarter, adopted by a number of gritty baskets down the stretch.
Los Angeles additionally obtained a lift from veteran guard Marcus Sensible, who had 15 factors and eight assists with 4 3-pointers in his Lakers playoff debut. Sensible stated earlier than the sequence that success would come all the way down to “willpower”, and the Lakers clearly had extra for starters.
Bronny James started the second quarter enjoying alongside his well-known father within the first important playoff minutes of the 21-year-old’s profession.
