Lakers go 2-0

The Los Angeles Lakers beat Houston 101-94 on Tuesday, April 21, and took a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference series. (nba.com) LeBron James finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes, and Marcus Smart added 25 points with five 3-pointers for Los Angeles. (apnews.com, nba.com) The Lakers won again without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and Luke Kennard chipped in 23 points as Los Angeles built a 33-26 first-quarter lead and never gave it back. (apnews.com, nba.com) Houston got Kevin Durant back for Game 2, but the Lakers put Smart on him as a primary defender and held the Rockets to 17 points in the third quarter. (espn.com, espn.com) That has turned the series quickly. Los Angeles entered the matchup as the West’s No. 4 seed at 53-29, Houston as the No. 5 seed at 52-30, and the Lakers now head to Game 3 with a two-game cushion. (espn.com, nba.com) The biggest immediate question is whether Houston can solve James late in games. NBA.com’s Game 2 takeaways noted that the 41-year-old scored nine fourth-quarter points, including a dunk that pushed the Lakers ahead 99-92 with 55.3 seconds left. (nba.com) Smart’s scoring changed the shape of the night too. He had 25 points and seven assists after scoring 13 points in Game 1, giving Los Angeles a second creator next to James while the backcourt remained short-handed. (apnews.com, espn.com) The series now shifts to Houston for Game 3 on Friday, April 24, with the Rockets needing a home response to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole. (nba.com)