Lakers go up 2‑0

The Lakers beat the Rockets 101-94 on Tuesday, April 21, to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference series. (espn.com) LeBron James finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes, and his dunk with 46 seconds left pushed Los Angeles back up by nine. Marcus Smart added 25 points and seven assists for a Lakers team still missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. (espn.com) Houston got Kevin Durant back after he missed Game 1, and he scored 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Rockets still shot 40% from the field and 24% from 3-point range, while committing 15 turnovers. (espn.com) Los Angeles also won Game 1, 107-98, on Saturday, April 19, after James posted 19 points and 13 assists. Through two games at home, the Lakers have won both without Doncic and Reaves in uniform. (usatoday.com) That puts Houston in the spot every road team tries to avoid in a best-of-seven series: down 0-2 before the matchup shifts sites. National Basketball Association playoff series follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format, so the next two games are in Houston. (nba.com) The Lakers were the West's No. 1 seed at 53-29, and the Rockets entered as the No. 8 seed at 52-30. Game 2 followed the same pattern as Game 1: Los Angeles controlled long stretches, Houston made a push, and James closed the door late. (espn.com) The Rockets briefly grabbed the lead in the third quarter during a 21-5 run, but the Lakers answered and led for 80% of Game 2. Los Angeles shot 46% overall and 46% from 3, with Luke Kennard joining James and Smart to form the bulk of the offense. (foxsports.com) Game 3 is the next pressure point for Houston: the Rockets need a home win to keep the series from turning into a sweep threat, and the Lakers are one victory from a 3-0 edge no team wants to face. (nba.com)