Lakers Take Game 1 as Rockets Offense Falls Flat
Rockets' offense sputtered despite turnovers, while Lakers secured Game 1 behind stellar shooting and LeBron's playmaking. Durant's imminent return looms large.
Game 1 is in the books, and… this one slipped. The Rockets walked into this series with momentum, confidence, and a real shot to steal one early. Instead, they ran into a Lakers team that looked totally comfortable from the jump and held control, even when things got messy.
Final: 107-98 Lakers. The frustrating part is that this was a game Houston had chances to take. The Lakers came out sharp offensively, and it started with LeBron dictating with eight assists in the first quarter alone, just picking Houston apart and putting everyone in the right spots.
Deandre Ayton didn’t miss early and finished 8-for-10 with 19 and 11. Rui Hachimura chipped in efficiently. But the swing we didn’t see coming was Luke Kennard.
Kennard went 5-for-5 from three, 9-for-13 from the field, and dropped 27 in his first playoff game as a Laker. A couple of those came off clean looks and every single one felt like it pushed the game just a little further out of reach. Houston never adjusted in time, and it burned them.