Lakers take Game 1
- The NBA playoffs opened April 18 and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in Game 1. (sports.yahoo.com) - Social media reactions to Houston's loss in Los Angeles were unusually intense across platforms. (sports.yahoo.com) - ESPN and NBC Sports have the full opening-week schedules as first-round action continues. (espn.com)
The Los Angeles Lakers opened their first-round series by beating the Houston Rockets 107-98 on Saturday, April 18, and taking a 1-0 lead. (espn.com) Los Angeles did it short-handed. ESPN reported Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were out, and Kevin Durant was a late scratch for Houston with right knee soreness. (espn.com) Luke Kennard scored a playoff career-high 27 points for the Lakers on 9-of-13 shooting and 5-of-5 from 3-point range. LeBron James added 19 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and two steals. (espn.com) James set the tone in the first quarter with eight assists, his most in any playoff quarter across 292 postseason games, according to ESPN. The Lakers shot 15-for-19 in that opening period and led 33-29 after one. (espn.com) Houston entered as the No. 5 seed after a 52-30 regular season, while Los Angeles finished 53-29 and claimed the No. 4 seed. The series opened in Los Angeles because the Lakers had the better record. (espn.com) The opener landed on the first day of the 2026 first round, which began Saturday, April 18. NBC Sports said the first round can run into early May, with the NBA Finals scheduled to start June 3. (nbcsports.com) The reaction online was immediate because Houston had been picked by many to win the series once the Lakers' injuries were known. Yahoo Sports said the Rockets' loss drew heavy criticism across social platforms after a game many expected them to control. (sports.yahoo.com) Houston also took heat for its defense. Yahoo Sports, citing Rockets Wire, reported Jabari Smith Jr. said, "They were getting what they wanted, and we were not defending," after the Lakers shot better than 60% for the game. (sports.yahoo.com) Game 2 is set for Tuesday, April 21, in Los Angeles before the series shifts to Houston for Games 3 and 4 on April 24 and April 26. NBA.com listed Game 2 for 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Peacock and NBC. (nba.com)
