Game ID: 42500171
Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 33 17 25 32 107HOU 29 19 18 32 98
HOU @ LAL ScoutingHOU @ LAL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Smart missed 7 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 3/27 after 2, 26 min since (86% of 30)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/05 after 24, 2 min since (22% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 4/02 after 3, 10 min since (101% of 10)
NEW LaRavia 24 to 30 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 2 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Smart missed 8 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/05 after 24, 7 min since (66% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 4/02 after 3, 11 min since (110% of 10)
NEW LaRavia 24 to 31 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backOUT Reaves missed 3 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Smart missed 9 since 3/23, returns tonight: 18 min (62% of 29)
OUT Hayes missed 2 since 4/07, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/05 after 24, 9 min since (79% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 4/02 after 3, 10 min since (95% of 10)
NEW Kennard 25 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW LaRavia 24 to 31 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 4 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Hayes missed 3 since 4/07, out tonight
BACK Smart back 4/10 after 9, 18 min since (62% of 29)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/05 after 24, 10 min since (89% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 4/02 after 3, 10 min since (99% of 10)
NEW Kennard 25 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW LaRavia 24 to 30 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/18 · 5 days' restOUT Reaves missed 5 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Hayes missed 4 since 4/07, returns tonight: 13 min (71% of 18)
BACK Smart back 4/10 after 9, 22 min since (76% of 29)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/05 after 24, 11 min since (104% of 11)
LAL availability going into 4/21 · 2 days' restOUT Reaves missed 6 since 4/05, out tonight
BACK Smart back 4/10 after 9, 26 min since (88% of 29)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 13 min since (71% of 18)
LAL availability going into 4/24 · 2 days' restOUT Reaves missed 7 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 4/18, returns tonight: 0 min (0% of 11)
OUT Kleber missed 2 since 4/18, out tonight
BACK Smart back 4/10 after 9, 28 min since (97% of 29)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 17 min since (95% of 18)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 30 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/26 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 8 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Kleber missed 3 since 4/18, returns tonight: 7 min (66% of 10)
BACK Smart back 4/10 after 9, 31 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 18 min since (100% of 18)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/24 after 2, 0 min since (0% of 11)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 33 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/29 · 2 days' restOUT Reaves missed 9 since 4/05, returns tonight: 34 min (97% of 35)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 17 min since (96% of 18)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/24 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 4/26 after 3, 7 min since (66% of 10)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 34 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Newton missed 13 since 3/13, out tonight
BACK Finney-Smith back 4/03 after 4, 9 min since (56% of 16)
HOU availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 2 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Newton missed 14 since 3/13, out tonight
HOU availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backOUT Finney-Smith missed 3 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Newton missed 15 since 3/13, out tonight
HOU availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 4 since 4/05, returns tonight: 21 min (129% of 16)
OUT Newton missed 16 since 3/13, returns tonight: 12 min (100% of 12)
HOU availability going into 4/18 · 5 days' restBACK Finney-Smith back 4/12 after 4, 21 min since (129% of 16)
BACK Newton back 4/12 after 16, 12 min since (100% of 12)
HOU availability going into 4/21 · 2 days' restOUT Durant missed 2 since 4/12, returns tonight: 41 min (112% of 36)
BACK Finney-Smith back 4/12 after 4, 21 min since (129% of 16)
BACK Newton back 4/12 after 16, 12 min since (100% of 12)
HOU availability going into 4/24 · 2 days' restOUT Finney-Smith missed 2 since 4/18, returns tonight: 11 min (67% of 16)
BACK Durant back 4/21 after 2, 41 min since (112% of 36)
BACK Newton back 4/12 after 16, 12 min since (100% of 12)
NEW Okogie 17 to 24 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/26 · 1 day's restBACK Durant back 4/21 after 2, 41 min since (112% of 36)
BACK Finney-Smith back 4/12 after 4, 16 min since (98% of 16)
BACK Newton back 4/12 after 16, 12 min since (100% of 12)
NEW Thompson 38 to 44 min over the last 4
NEW Smith Jr. 36 to 41 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 4/29 · 2 days' restBACK Durant back 4/21 after 2, 41 min since (112% of 36)
BACK Finney-Smith back 4/12 after 4, 17 min since (105% of 16)
BACK Newton back 4/12 after 16, 12 min since (100% of 12)
NEW Thompson 38 to 44 min over the last 4
NEW Smith Jr. 36 to 42 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 108, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 26 and Hachimura at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Reaves (5 straight), Hayes (4 straight). 5 days' rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 112, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Thompson at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 15 a night. 5 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-15 a night and the Lakers minus-1 and the arc, the Lakers at 41 percent from three to Houston's 34. Call it the Lakers 115, Houston 114, Houston keeping it close.
4/07 vs OKC 87-123 — LAL notes
LAL lost 87-123. LAL shot 44% (32 of 73) to OKC's 51%, 9 of 26 from three, and went to the line 31 times to OKC's 14 — 14 points from the stripe to their 12. LAL turned it over 17 times to OKC's 12, and OKC turned those into 15 steals. Hachimura led with 15 (7 of 10); Timme added 11, Smith Jr. 11. Q4 was theirs, 25-30, but the other 3 periods went 93-62 against them. Timme's -26 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/09 @ GSW 119-103 — LAL notes
LAL won 119-103. LAL shot 61% (49 of 80) to GSW's 51%, 16 of 29 from three. L. James led with 26 (11 of 17, 3 of 5 from three); Ayton added 21, LaRavia 16. The hinge was Q4, 37-30: a lead of 9 became 16, and the lead reached 27. LaRavia was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
4/10 vs PHX 101-73 — LAL notes
LAL won 101-73. LAL shot 51% (35 of 69) to PHX's 34%, 8 of 20 from three, and went to the line 30 times to PHX's 21 — 23 points from the stripe to their 14. LAL turned it over 11 times to PHX's 23. The glass went 35-47 against them. L. James led with 28 (10 of 16, 6 of 9 at the line); Kennard added 19, Hachimura 13. The hinge was Q4, 20-9: a lead of 17 became 28. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
4/12 vs UTA 131-107 — LAL notes
LAL won 131-107. LAL shot 55% (51 of 93) to UTA's 44%, 15 of 34 from three, and got to the line 17 times to UTA's 27. Hachimura led with 22 (8 of 12, 3 of 5 from three); Ayton added 22, L. James 18. The hinge was Q1, 32-22: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 30. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
4/18 vs HOU 107-98 — LAL notes
LAL won 107-98. LAL shot 61% (40 of 66) to HOU's 38%, 10 of 19 from three. LAL turned it over 18 times to HOU's 13, and HOU turned those into 13 steals. Kennard led with 27 (9 of 13, 5 of 5 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); L. James added 19, Ayton 19. The hinge was Q3, 25-18: a lead of 2 became 9, and the lead reached 16. L. James was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
4/21 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 101, shooting 54 percent and 45 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 23 and Hachimura at 15 a game. That is 4 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Reaves (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Thompson at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 15 a night. Without Durant (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-15 a night and the Lakers minus-5 and the arc, the Lakers at 45 percent from three to Houston's 32. Call it the Lakers 113, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
4/24 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 29 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 28 and Thompson at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Finney-Smith (2 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 95, shooting 55 percent and 48 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 24 and Kennard at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Reaves (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 48 percent from three to Houston's 29 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and the Lakers minus-5. Call it Houston 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/26 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 28 from three, 25 free throws a game; Thompson at 25 and Sengun at 24 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 96, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 24 and Kennard at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Reaves (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 45 percent from three to Houston's 28 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and the Lakers minus-5. Call it Houston 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/29 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 25 free throws a game; James at 21 and Hachimura at 17 a game. Without Reaves (9 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Thompson at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 42 percent from three to Houston's 31 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and the Lakers minus-2. Call it the Lakers 111, Houston 109, Houston keeping it close.
4/07 @ PHX 119-105 — HOU notes
HOU won 119-105. HOU shot 45% (45 of 100) to PHX's 43%, 14 of 38 from three, and got to the line 16 times to PHX's 39. The glass went 55-34 for them. Durant led with 24 (8 of 20, 5 of 9 from three); Thompson added 22, Smith Jr. 20. The hinge was Q4, 38-21: HOU came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 14. HOU trailed 54-57 at the half and won the second half 65-48. Eason was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
4/09 vs PHI 113-102 — HOU notes
HOU won 113-102. HOU shot 45% (42 of 93) to PHI's 45%, 11 of 32 from three. Durant led with 29 (10 of 18, 3 of 6 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Thompson added 19, Smith Jr. 19. The hinge was Q1, 35-26: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 28. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/10 vs MIN 132-136 — HOU notes
HOU lost 132-136. HOU shot 61% (53 of 87) to MIN's 57%, 4 of 19 from three. HOU turned it over 12 times to MIN's 7. The glass went 39-25 for them. Thompson led with 41 (17 of 22, 7 of 7 at the line); Durant added 33, Sengun 22. Q2 was theirs, 37-32, turning a 1-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 104-95 against them. They led by as many as 10. Sheppard's -17 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/12 vs MEM 132-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 132-101. HOU shot 46% (48 of 105) to MEM's 41%, 14 of 49 from three, and went to the line 30 times to MEM's 10 — 22 points from the stripe to their 10. The glass went 64-37 for them. Capela led with 23 (9 of 11, 4 of 7 at the line); Eason added 20, Sheppard 19. The hinge was Q2, 34-19: a lead of 6 became 21, and the lead reached 39. Capela was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
4/18 @ LAL 98-107 — HOU notes
HOU lost 98-107. HOU took 27 more shots (93 to 66), fed by 21 offensive rebounds, but shot 38% to LAL's 61%, 11 of 33 from three. HOU turned it over 13 times to LAL's 18. Sengun led with 19 (6 of 19, 7 of 9 at the line); Thompson added 17, Sheppard 17. Q2 was theirs, 19-17, the deficit cut from 4 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 90-79 against them. Okogie's -10 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/21 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 101, shooting 54 percent and 45 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 23 and Hachimura at 15 a game. That is 4 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Reaves (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Thompson at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 15 a night. Without Durant (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-15 a night and the Lakers minus-5 and the arc, the Lakers at 45 percent from three to Houston's 32. Call it the Lakers 113, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
4/24 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 29 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 28 and Thompson at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Finney-Smith (2 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 95, shooting 55 percent and 48 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 24 and Kennard at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Reaves (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 48 percent from three to Houston's 29 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and the Lakers minus-5. Call it Houston 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/26 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 28 from three, 25 free throws a game; Thompson at 25 and Sengun at 24 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 96, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 24 and Kennard at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Reaves (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 45 percent from three to Houston's 28 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and the Lakers minus-5. Call it Houston 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/29 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 25 free throws a game; James at 21 and Hachimura at 17 a game. Without Reaves (9 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Thompson at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 42 percent from three to Houston's 31 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and the Lakers minus-2. Call it the Lakers 111, Houston 109, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALBJ B. James
DA D. Ayton
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
LK L. Kennard
MS M. Smart
RH R. Hachimura
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
JO J. Okogie
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
RS R. Sheppard
TE T. Eason
LAL/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Kennard scores 27, LeBron leads Lakers to surprising 107-98 win over Rockets in playoff opener
LOS ANGELES -- — 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.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
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.