With a 41-year-old LeBron James leading a man-down rotation, the Lakers didn’t just survive Kevin Durant’s playoff return—they suffocated it; Yankee Scores reports…

Lebron James had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and the depleted Los Angeles Lakers outplayed the Houston Rockets 101-94 on Tuesday night and a breathtaking 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

The King’s Command

Marcus Smart scored 25 points on five 3-pointers and seven assists to the Lakers, who have twice overcome the absence of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with a team-wide effort spearheaded by the 41-year-old James. It was done in Game 2 by Los Angeles even after Kevin Durant returned and only made three out of his 23 points in the second half against the Lakers tenacious defense.

One step closer. pic.twitter.com/iQJz9zyQEi

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 22, 2026

“We executed the game plan offensively and defensively, shored up some of our mistakes from Game 1, and just got into a dogfight,” James said. “When we have two big guns out like we have, we’ve all got to pick up our play, and that’s all it’s about. We’re all just trying to make contributions on offense and seize the opportunity.”

Unlikely Firepower

Luke Kennard had 23 points in Los Angeles. This held a slim advantage all through the fourth quarter of Game 2. Smart spotted James racing down the lane to make a dramatic two-handed dunk with 55 seconds remaining. Kennard sealed it with two late free throws.

Friday in Houston is Game 3.

Alperen Sengun scored 20 and 11 rebounds. The fifth-seeded Rockets once again failed to score offensively despite Durant making his playoff debut in Houston. Jabari Smith Jr. had 18 and Amen Thompson had 16. Despite this, the Rockets shot only 40.4 percent and only seven 3-pointers.

Defensive Straitjacket

Three days after he missed the series opener with a bruise on his right knee, Durant made just 12 shots and turned the ball over nine times to start his fifth career playoff series against James. The superstars have already faced each other in the NBA Finals in 2012, 2017 and 2018.

“They started doubling me from possession one,” Durant said. “I’ve got to do better and not put my teammates in bad positions when I’m swinging the ball. … We’re just not making shots, to be honest. We ain’t shooting the ball well. We’re missing a lot of layups. I just think that’s the difference in the game. They’re making shots. Smart was the guy that knocked down shots for them today. Kennard, too.”