LeBron's Game‑2 show
- LeBron dominated Game 2 with a windmill dunk as the Lakers moved to a 2‑0 series lead. - He finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in that game. - Fans flooded social posts praising his athleticism and debating GOAT status after the win ( )
LeBron James put up 28 points Tuesday night and carried the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-94 Game 2 win over Houston, giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. (apnews.com) James added eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes at Crypto.com Arena on April 21, while the Lakers closed with a 26-26 fourth quarter after leading 75-68 entering the period. (espn.com) The play that spread fastest was a late windmill dunk after Marcus Smart found James cutting down the lane with 55 seconds left. FOX 11 Los Angeles, citing the Associated Press, identified it as a third-quarter windmill in a photo caption and described the late finish as the exclamation point on the win. (foxla.com) Los Angeles did it while missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves again, with Smart scoring 25 points and Luke Kennard adding 23. The Lakers have now taken the first two games of the best-of-seven series at home. (apnews.com) Houston got Kevin Durant back after he missed Game 1 with an injury, but he scored 23 points and only three after halftime. Alperen Sengun added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Rockets shot 40.4% from the field with seven made 3-pointers. (foxla.com) The result sharpened the series around James’ age as much as the score. The Associated Press described the Lakers as short-handed and called the 41-year-old James the driver of another upset over the fifth-seeded Rockets. (apnews.com) ESPN’s game page highlighted the final sequence with a video labeled “LeBron cuts for emphatic dunk in final minute of Lakers’ Game 2 win,” and NBA.com posted a separate highlight package built around his 28-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist line. Those clips fed the online reaction that quickly turned from the dunk itself to James’ place in the all-time debate. (espn.com, nba.com) Game 3 is Friday in Houston, with the Lakers taking a 2-0 edge on the road and James coming off the kind of finish that keeps stretching his playoff résumé into a 23rd season. (foxla.com)
