LeBron James, Luke Kennard power Lakers in Game 1 over Rockets

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) celebrating repeated threes during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. LOS ANGELES — "Hyperfocus" was one of the emphasized words in practice throughout the week for the Lakers, putting those words into action in Game 1. The Lakers powered past the Rockets, 107-98, on Saturday evening to take a 1-0 first-round series lead, led by Luke Kennard, LeBron James and a collective effort.

“We just prepared ourselves just like everything else. We had a good week of preparation," James said. "We protect the home court [in] game one, and we gotta get better over the next 48 hours going into game two on Tuesday.

" With Los Angeles' backcourt duo, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, out, Lakers trade deadline acquisition Kennard and James came to the team to fill the team's missing scoring void. Kennard finished with a playoff career-high 27 points on a perfect 5 for 5 from 3 and 9 for 13 shooting overall, while James notched 19 points and a game-high 13 assists with eight rebounds. The Lakers weren't the only team down stars as Houston's head coach Ime Udoka announced in his presser before the game that Kevin Durant would miss the first game after bumping knees with a teammate in practice.

L. A. came out of the gates with a burst of energy and momentum behind a sellout Crypto.