Despite missing several superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers opened the 2026 NBA playoffs on Saturday night with a gritty 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets. Lebron James, 41, dominated the court, recording 19 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds.
In doing so, he became the oldest player in NBA history to record 10 or more assists in a playoff game.
With the key starters out, Luke Kennard took a significant step forward, scoring a career-high 27 points and shooting a perfect 5-0-5 from three-point range. The Lakers were forced to play without Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Maxi Kleber.
However, the Rockets were dealt a major blow before tip-off when star forward Kevin Durant was ruled out due to a right knee contusion suffered in practice.
“It’s just our playoff mentality,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
“You can’t worry about who’s in the lineup or not. It’s our game plan. It’s our standards. It’s how we play, and that’s what we’ve built towards.”
“I thought our guys just responded well and met the moment. That’s the most important thing. You have to meet the moment in every game, and we did that.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks all earned opening day wins. The Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic officially booked their playoff spots after surviving the play-in tournament.
On the other hand, defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will begin their title defense against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
The Lakers now have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, with Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
