LeBron’s clutch Game 2

LeBron James put the Lakers up 2-0 on Tuesday, April 21, with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a 101-94 win over Houston. (nba.com) The Lakers won both home games in Los Angeles to open the Western Conference first-round series, taking Game 1 on April 18 by a 107-98 score before holding the Rockets to 94 points in Game 2. (espn.com, espn.com) Game 1 turned on an unexpected scoring burst from Luke Kennard, who had a career playoff-high 27 points and went 5-for-5 from 3-point range in his Lakers postseason debut. LeBron added 19 points and 13 assists that night. (nba.com, nba.com) Game 2 looked more like a LeBron-controlled playoff game. He led all scorers with 28 points in 39 minutes, while the Lakers closed out a Rockets team that had won 52 regular-season games. (nba.com, espn.com) The series has opened with Los Angeles missing major pieces. NBA.com’s Game 1 coverage said the Lakers were short-handed with Luka Dončić dealing with a hamstring strain and Austin Reaves facing an oblique strain. (nba.com) Houston also entered the matchup with health questions around Kevin Durant. The Associated Press recap on NBA.com said the Lakers “capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence” in Game 1, while the Game 2 recap described Durant as having returned for Houston in the second game. (nba.com, nba.com) That has made the early 2-0 edge feel larger than a normal first-round lead: Los Angeles has gotten one win from Kennard’s shooting and another from LeBron’s all-around control, despite the roster absences around him. (nba.com, nba.com) The series now shifts to Houston for Game 3 on April 24, with ESPN listing the Lakers still ahead 2-0 and the Rockets trying to avoid a 3-0 hole. (espn.com)