LeBron's Game 2 night

LeBron James gave the Lakers another playoff win on April 21, finishing with 28 points as Los Angeles beat Houston 101-94 for a 2-0 series lead. (nba.com) James added eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes at Crypto.com Arena, where the Lakers closed the game after leading 33-26 at the end of the first quarter. (nba.com) Marcus Smart scored 25 points with seven assists and five steals for Los Angeles, while the Associated Press reported the Lakers were again without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. (espn.com) Houston got Kevin Durant back for Game 2, but the Rockets still dropped both games in Los Angeles and now trail in the first-round series as it shifts to Houston. (nytimes.com) That put James at the center of the Lakers’ early postseason offense even with two high-usage guards sidelined, and it kept a 53-29 regular-season team in control of the matchup against a 52-30 Houston club. (espn.com) The game turned in the middle quarters. Fox Sports’ play-by-play shows Houston briefly moved ahead 55-54 in the third quarter, but Los Angeles answered and took a 75-68 lead into the fourth. (foxsports.com) James also delivered the late sequence that sealed the result, including an emphatic dunk in the final minute that ESPN highlighted from the closing stretch. (espn.com) Game 2 did not end the series, but it sent the Lakers on the road with a two-game cushion and another night in which James handled the biggest share of the work. (nba.com)