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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Literally against all odds, in Las Vegas and presumably elsewhere, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have claimed a 2-0 series lead over Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

James addressed the matchup with Durant, offering up respect for his counterpart’s elite offensive skill set, but also taking a jab at the Rockets superstar in the process.

“It’s still a tall challenge, and a 7-foot tall one, too,” James said of the Lakers trying to slow down Durant on the offensive side of the court. “I know he don’t like it. He hates it. He might be mad at me if he sees that. You know, he wants to be 6’10” or 6’9″ so bad. But he’s 7’0″ for sure.”

Rockets’ Offense Got Worse From 3-Point Line, Overall Point Total With Kevin Durant Playing in Game 2

GettyKevin Durant of the Houston Rockets.

Durant returned to the Rockets’ lineup in Game 2 on Tuesday night, April 21, after a knee contusion he suffered last week in practice kept him sidelined for the series opener.

Los Angeles bested Houston by a score of 107-98 at Crypto.com Arena last weekend in Durant’s absence, holding the Rockets to an abysmal shooting performance that included a 35-of-93 mark from the floor (38 percent overall field-goal percentage) and an 11-of-33 clip from behind the 3-point line (33 percent).

Common logic dictated that Durant, arguably the Rockets’ best offensive player, coming back to the floor would result in his team playing more efficiently and more productively. However, Houston actually scored fewer total points in a 101-94 defeat on Tuesday.

The Rockets connected on 36-of-89 attempts from the field (40 percent) and 7-of-29 from deep (24 percent). Durant shot 7-of-12 on field goals and made 8-of-9 free throws, scoring 23 points while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. However, he also turned over the basketball nine times on the evening.

LeBron James Has Dominated Lakers-Rockets Series Without Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves

GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Meanwhile, James put together yet another playoff masterpiece at the age of 41, and did so absent superstars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves who remain sidelined with hamstring and oblique injuries, respectively.

James put up 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Game 2, leading the Lakers in all three statistical categories. He facilitated the victory in Game 1 as well, tallying 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.

It is unclear if Doncic or Reaves will be back before the end of the first round, though with the way James is playing, their health statuses may not make a difference with regards to the Lakers’ outcome.

Up 2-0 after winning both contests at home to start the series, James and the Lakers head to Houston for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday. If the Lakers are able to capture either of those contests, it will be exceedingly difficult for the Rockets to make the series competitive — let alone pull out a Round-1 victory.

That is especially true if Houston can’t figure out a way to score triple-digits against a depleted Lakers squad that wasn’t known for its defense at any point over the 2025-26 campaign.