Kevin Durant scored 23 points for Houston, but the Lakers won 101-94 despite the loss of Luka Doncic.
Published April 22, 2026
LeBron James had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-94 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets and a 2-0 lead in the first round of the Western Conference playoff series.
Marcus Smart added 25 points, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and Game 1 hero Luke Kennard contributed 23 points, including 3 of 6 from deep, as leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring injury) and Austin Reeves (oblique strain) watched from the bench Tuesday.
“As hard as we played in Game 1, we had to work twice as hard in Game 2,” James said. “We knew what they wanted and what desperation they had. So we had to be even more desperate. And I thought we played a hell of a game.”
Kevin Durant, who missed the opening game with a right knee contusion, scored 23 points for Houston, but had nine turnovers and was limited to just three points at halftime.
Houston’s Alperen Sengan had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Jabari Smith Jr. had 18 points and Armen Thompson had 16 points and nine assists.
“The turnovers hurt us, but other than the third quarter, we were pretty decent overall,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “But 7-of-29 from three, 8-of-20 from second-chance points, and 40 percent shooting isn’t good enough…(We’re) playing good enough defense, but we’re not scoring. That’s the bottom line after the last two games.”
The best-of-seven series moves to Houston for Game 3 on Friday.
Wembaneyama suffers concussion, Trail Blazers win
Scoot Henderson scored a season-best 31 points and the visiting Portland Trail Blazers rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the short-handed San Antonio Spurs 106-103 and advance to one win apiece in the first round of the Western Conference playoff series.
The teams will play Game 3 in Portland on Friday, but it’s unclear whether the Spurs will have Victor Wembaneyama available. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year hit his face on the floor in the second quarter and was diagnosed with a concussion. He is scheduled to undergo further tests on Wednesday.
Led by Stephon Castle’s team-high 18 points, the Spurs held a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, but scored the first 13 points of the final period to take a 93-79 advantage. The Trail Blazers went on a 7-0 run to take the lead on Jrue Holiday’s layup with 2:02 left and hung on from there.
Holiday had 16 points and nine assists for the Trail Blazers, and Deni Avdija added 14 points. For the Spurs, De’Aaron Fox had 17 points and Devin Vassell had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Celtics 97, 76ers 111
V.J. Edgecomb and Tyrese Maxey combined for 11 3-pointers for a total of 59 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers rose to even level with the host Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoff series.
Seventh-seeded Philadelphia was a complete turnaround offensively, shaking off its dismal performance from Game 1, which included making just four 3-pointers in a 123-91 loss. Paul George scored 19 points for them, who shot an incredible 19-of-39 (48.7 percent) from beyond the arc in Game 2.
For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 36 points and Jayson Tatum scored 19 points with a game-high 14 rebounds. No other Boston player reached double digits in points, a stark contrast from Game 1, when all five Celtics starters scored at least 10 points.
