ROCKETS at LAKERS | FULL GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS | April 18, 2026
KENNARD SCORES 27, LEBRON LEADS LAKERS TO SURPRISING 107-98 WIN OVER ROCKETS IN PLAYOFF OPENER
Tonight's Game Observation:
- If not for the turnovers, this game would have been a blowout. This is the type of defensive effort I have always been harping on and I know the team is capable of doing every single game. It should not take the importance of a playoff game for the players to realize this fact. The goal now is to turn this into a habit and keep improving on other weaknesses, like turnovers and rebounding the ball.
LUKE KENNARD, what a great acquisition! We now have our third MAMBA GUARD option after LUKA and AUSTIN.
Suggestion:
- Never assume every shot is going in, so rebounding mindset is always on.
Dear Coach:
- Please remind the team regarding the effort Mr. Lebron James, not just to compliment him, but to make him an example of how it is to be passionate about what you do. Make it known in that locker room, that getting paid boat loads of money in exchange for 40 minutes of hustle every game is really not too much to ask. The fans also appreciate that you are giving Jarred Vanderbilt his ability to play defense because he is next to LBJ when it comes to being passionate about the game.
Next Game:
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES (AP) Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant's injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.
Both teams played the opener without their most important player. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out indefinitely with injuries since April 2, while Durant was a late scratch with a bruised right knee.
Los Angeles thrived by hitting 60.6% of its shots while holding the Rockets to 37.6% shooting with pesky defense. That disparity allowed the Lakers to win despite attempting just 66 shots - the fewest in an NBA game in the past three seasons - and giving up 21 offensive rebounds.
“That’s what it has to be - a collective group,” the 41-year-old James said after beginning his 19th NBA postseason. “When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to do our job and maybe have to do a little bit more, protect one another offensively and defensively, and I think we did that tonight.”
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets. Amen Thompson added 17 points.
The Lakers acquired Kennard from Atlanta in early February, and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter became a key reserve before he seized a major role over the past two weeks. He hit four 3-pointers in Game 1 while making nine of his first 12 shots.
Durant banged knees with a teammate in practice Wednesday. Reed Sheppard five 3-pointers while scoring 17 points, but the Rockets struggled to score consistently.
“We won a lot of areas, but just shot poorly,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “That’s going to be tough to beat, but there are some things we left on the table, opportunities missed."
Los Angeles also got a boost from Marcus Smart, who had 15 points and eight assists with four 3-pointers. Smart said before the series that success would come down to “willpower” - and the Lakers clearly had more for starters.
Bronny James began the second quarter playing alongside his famous father in the first significant playoff minutes of the 21-year-old's career.
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