Lakers take early control

The Lakers took a 2-0 lead over Houston on Tuesday night, winning 101-94 after opening the series with a 107-98 victory on April 18. (espn.com) LeBron James set the tone in both games. He had 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in Game 1, then followed with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Game 2. (espn.com) Los Angeles did it without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who have both been out since April 2 with injuries. Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points in the opener, and Marcus Smart added 25 points with five 3-pointers in Game 2. (espn.com) Houston entered the matchup as the No. 5 seed after a 52-30 regular season, but the Rockets have not solved the Lakers’ defense through two games. Houston shot 37.6% in Game 1 and 40.4% in Game 2. (espn.com) Kevin Durant missed Game 1 with a bruised right knee and returned for Game 2, but the Lakers still kept control. Durant scored 23 points Tuesday, took 12 shots and committed nine turnovers as Los Angeles doubled him early and often. (espn.com) The series has also become a test of how much the Lakers can manufacture around James while two primary scorers sit. Through two games, Los Angeles is averaging 104.0 points to Houston’s 96.0, and James leads the series at 23.5 points and 10.0 assists per game. (nba.com) The matchup now shifts to Houston for Game 3 on Friday, April 24, with Game 4 set for Sunday, April 26. The Lakers have held home court so far; the next two games will decide whether this becomes a short series or a real fight. (nba.com)