Temples in Thailand gathered for the annual ‘Look Noo’ rocket festival, an ancient Mon tradition. Once used in funeral rites for senior monks, the ritual has evolved into a competitive event, keeping the centuries-old practice alive.
Published On 5 May 20265 May 2026
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The Lakers understand the daunting challenge they’re about to face against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
Lakers coach JJ Redick referenced the great Chicago Bulls teams that won back-to-back championships in 1996 and ’97 and the Golden State Warriors teams that won titles in 2015 and ’17 when talking about the Thunder after practice Sunday.
“The Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history,” Redick said. “It’s just the reality. They’re that good. I think our guys recognize that and respect that, and we know what kind of task we have in front of us.”
The Thunder had the best record in the regular season at 64-18. They were ranked first in defensive field-goal percentage (43.7%), first in defensive rating (106.5), first in net rating (43.7) and second in points given up per game (107.9).
They have the league’s reigning most valuable player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the leading candidate to repeat as MVP. He was second in scoring this season (31.1 points per game) and leads the postseason in scoring (33.8).
The Thunder just swept the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series. The Lakers eliminated the Houston Rockets in six games.
This season the Thunder beat the Lakers by an average of 29.2 points per game in sweeping the four-game set. So the Lakers are facing long odds to win this series, but they say they aren’t intimidated heading into Game 1 on Tuesday night.
“You can respect the team but you can’t fear them,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “You can’t come into the game fearing the opponent and then you’re just gonna come in and get punked. So, we respect how good this team is, but our goal is to win — win the games and win the series. So, our mindset stays the same.”
The Thunder have a reputation as a stingy defensive team — they were called for the seventh-fewest fouls per game (19) this season.
“They’re top five in every category that’s disruptive-base: steals, blocks, turnovers forced, all that stuff. And they don’t foul,” Redick said. “They somehow do all of that without fouling, which is one of the most remarkable things, I think, in NBA history.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is famous for drawing fouls. He took nine free throws per game this season, third-most in the league.
“Nobody’s been able to stop him all season,” Redick said. “So, you can hope and pray.”
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives against the Lakers during a Thunder win on April 2.
(Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
The Lakers had their own weapon at the free-throw line, but it’s unclear when Luka Doncic might return from injury. The All-Star point guard hasn’t played since sustaining a Grade 2 left hamstring strain against the Thunder on April 2.
Doncic was coming off a magical month, becoming the only player in history other than Michael Jordan to score 600 points in March.
Redick had no update on Doncic’s status — he remains out indefinitely.
But the Lakers got by the Rockets with LeBron James leading the way. He averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds in the six games. And star guard Austin Reaves, who also was injured in the April 2 game against the Thunder, returned to help beat the Rockets.
Still, few think the Lakers, who advanced past the first round for the first time since 2023, can get by the deep and talented Thunder.
“You could say nobody thought we were going to get past Houston, but everybody in this building believed,” Reaves said. “It’s the same mindset going into this. We obviously know the team that we’re about to face and how good they are and the problems that they can create for 48 minutes. So, we’ll have to lock in every single day, film, whatever it could be, to continue to get better and and pay attention to all the little details like they do.”
From Broderick Turner: LeBron James knew what was at stake in this first-round playoff series and that it was on his shoulders to meet the moment and have his teammates follow his lead.
James simply elevated his play like he has so many times over his illustrious 23-year NBA career, playing with a purpose and willing the Lakers to a 98-78 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night at Toyota Center.
His 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds is why the Lakers won the best-of-seven series, 4-2, over the Rockets and why L.A. will meet the defending NBA champion Thunder on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
James and the Lakers had been on the verge of collapsing in these playoffs, their commanding 3-0 lead cut to 3-2.
But the Lakers and James let the Rockets know they were going to stay the course in Game 6 by building a 25-point lead in the third quarter.
Rui Hachimura let James and the Lakers know he had come to play, scoring 21 points on eight-for-15 shooting and a sizzling five for seven on three-pointers. Hachimura also had six rebounds.
James began to assert himself in the second quarter, scoring 14 points on five-for-eight shooting and two-for-three on three-pointers. He outscored the Rockets by himself in the second (14-13) and it was his effort that put the Lakers in front for good, helping them build a 19-point lead that was never in jeopardy.
James was being a leader by example for the Lakers, something that increased on April 2 once Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain) got injured in Oklahoma City.
“I mean, I’ve done it throughout my career for the majority of my career, but they still have to accept it,” James said. “I would say we were a totally different team before April 2 and for them to accept the fact to allow me to lead them and kind of command them in a way that I think I saw fit, being an extension of our coaching staff on the floor, like I said, it means a lot to me. So, I’m happy I was able to do some things out there to make them understand that I guess I know what I’m doing at times and those guys, they were great in this series.”
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First round
All times Pacific
at Lakers 107, Houston 98 (box score)
at Lakers 101, Houston 94 (box score)
Lakers 112, at Houston 108 (box score)
at Houston 115, Lakers 96 (box score)
Houston 99, at Lakers 93 (box score)
Lakers 98, at Houston 78 (box score)
From Maddie Lee: Andy Pages tapped the top of his helmet as plate umpire Chris Guccione wound up to punch him out, taking one final stab at extending the Dodgers’ scoring opportunity in the eighth inning.
The Busch Stadium scoreboard lit up with a graphic of the strike zone. The ball flew in, touching the top of the rectangle and turning it red. The call was confirmed. Strike three.
In a 7-2 loss to the Cardinals on Friday, that was one of six at-bats the Dodgers had with runners in scoring position. They didn’t record a hit in any of them.
Instead, the Dodgers (20-12) only scored on Max Muncy’s double with a runner on first in the second inning, and Kyle Tucker’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth. It marked their third straight loss, scoring two or fewer runs in each.
Ronny Mauricio hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and the New York Mets rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Angels on Friday night in the opener of a nine-game trip.
The win — just the Mets’ fourth in their last 21 games — came a few hours after president of baseball operations David Stearns gave manager Carlos Mendoza a vote of confidence. New York has the majors’ worst record at 11-21.
Marcus Semien hit a tying two-run single in the Mets’ three-run sixth inning, which also included an RBI single by Francisco Alvarez. New York retired the final 21 Angels hitters.
From Mirjam Swanson: Tennessee told Nico Iamaleava to go fly a kite, so UCLA said come fly it here.
That alleviated some homesickness, but it didn’t get Iamaleava’s career up off the ground. Of course, the conditions in Westwood last season weren’t ideal for takeoff.
But now they are.
Here comes Bob Chesney’s rebuild. And Iamaleava’s redemption. An exceptional head coach and an exciting quarterback, with the wind at their backs, racing toward a relatively breezy schedule?
Sky’s the limit, man.
Watch them dip and dance and make defenders miss all the way to New York. Watch the cautionary tale about the perils of the transfer portal turn into a fairy-tale comeback.
No, that’s not me building castles in the sky.
From Kevin Baxter: Isaac Martinez has been as a cook at SoFi Stadium for four years. He’s worked dozens of events including NFL games, a Super Bowl, Taylor Swift concerts, Wrestlemania and the college football national championship game.
And he’s never been afraid to come to work. Until now.
He’s not alone. With the World Cup kicking off at the Inglewood venue next month, Martinez says he and many of the people who work in food services and other jobs at the stadium won’t feel safe if federal immigration agents are present during the tournament.
“Most of the workers are afraid. They fear for their safety,” Martinez said in Spanish. “This is also about the fans. People come from everywhere, even from Iran. So we’re concerned about their safety.”
Interim head coach D.J. Smith will be among the candidates for the Kings’ full-time job when general manager Ken Holland conducts his coaching search this month.
Smith took over March 1 when Holland fired Jim Hiller with the Kings at 24-21-14 and out of the playoff picture. The former Ottawa head coach rallied the Kings to an 11-6-6 finish to claim the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Kings were swept by the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche in their fifth consecutive first-round postseason exit.
“D.J. did a great job,” Holland said Friday. “The team responded to him, so he’s a candidate. … I don’t want to talk to 20 people. I’d like to talk to probably five to eight people, and then make a decision. Some with experience, some maybe assistants, and some who haven’t been a head coach.”
1903 — 29th Kentucky Derby: Hal Booker riding Judge Himes wins in 2:09.
1904 — Laska Durnell becomes the first woman to own a Kentucky Derby starter and winner when longshot Elwood wins the 30th Run for the Roses. Elwood is also the first Derby winner whose breeder is a woman, Mrs. J.B. Prather.
1906 — 32nd Kentucky Derby: Roscoe Troxler aboard Sir Huon wins in 2:08.8.
1953 — Dark Star, a 25-1 longshot, wins the Kentucky Derby, beating 7-10 favorite Native Dancer by a head. It’s Native Dancer’s first defeat after 11 straight wins and the only defeat in 22 career starts.
1964 — Northern Dancer, ridden by Bill Hartack, wins the Kentucky Derby by a neck over Hill Rise in a race record 2:00.
1967 — The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1968 — 22nd NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat Lakers, 4 games to 2.
1970 — Diane Crump becomes the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Her mount, Fathom, finishes 15th in a field of 17. Dust Commander, with Mike Manganello aboard, wins the race.
1978 — 1978 NFL Draft: Earl Campbell from University of Texas first pick by Houston Oilers.
1999 — John Elway announces his retirement from the NFL.
2001 — James Hylton, a construction worker from Keizer, Ore., bowls the fifth perfect 900 series in the 106-year history of the sport.
2002 — Patrick Lalime becomes the 14th goalie in NHL history to record four shutouts in one postseason with his 27-save performance in Ottawa’s 5-0 defeat of Toronto.
2009 — Mine That Bird, a 50-1 shot ridden by Calvin Borel, wins the Kentucky Derby with a dynamic stretch run through the mud. Borel finds room along the rail and pulls away in one of the biggest upsets in the 135-year history of the race.
2010 — Ryo Ishikawa shoots a 12-under 58 — the lowest score on a major tour — to win The Crowns in Togo, Japan. The 18-year-old Ishikawa has 12 birdies in his bogey-free round on the 6,545-yard Nagoya Golf Club course.
2010 — Cleveland’s LeBron James becomes the 10th player in NBA history to win consecutive MVP awards.
2012 — Barcelona football player Lionel Messi breaks the European goal-scoring record with 68 goals.
2015 — American Pharoah rallies in the stretch to beat Firing Line by a length for trainer Bob Baffert’s first Kentucky Derby victory since 2002. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite by the record crowd of 170,513, American Pharoah is ridden by Victor Espinoza.
2015 — Floyd Mayweather Jr. uses his reach and his jab to frustrate Manny Pacquiao for a unanimous decision in their welterweight title bout. Mayweather remains unbeaten in 48 fights, cementing his legacy as the best of his generation.
2016 — Leicester City win the English Premier League title after starting the season at 5,000-1 odds.
2017 — Isaiah Thomas scores 53 points — the second-highest total in Celtics playoff history — to help Boston beat the Washington Wizards 129-119 in overtime and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.
Compiled by the Associated Press
1917 — Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs pitched a double no-hitter for nine innings, but the Reds won 1-0 on two hits in the 10th. Jim Thorpe drove in the winning run.
1923 — Walter Johnson recorded his first shutout of the season and the 100th of his major league record 113 career shutouts as the Washington Senators defeated the New York Yankees 3-0. Yankees shortstop Everett Scott received a medal from the American League for playing in his 1,000th consecutive game.
1927 — Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when the Yankees announce he will earn $70,000 per season for the next three years.
1939 — Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees did not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending at 2,130 his streak of consecutive games. Gehrig never played again. Babe Dahlgren took his place at first base. The Yankees didn’t miss his bat, however, beating the Tigers 22-2.
1954 — Stan Musial hit five home runs in a doubleheader split with the New York Giants at St. Louis. The Cardinals won the first game 10-6 but lost the second 9-7. His fifth home run, off Hoyt Wilhelm, went over the roof in right center.
1959 — Frank Robinson of Cincinnati hit for the cycle and drove in five runs to lead the Reds to a 16-4 rout of the Dodgers.
1964 — The Minnesota Twins became the third team in major league history to hit four consecutive home runs in an inning. Tony Oliva, Bob Allison and Jimmie Hall connected off Dan Pfister and Harmon Killebrew went deep off Vern Handrahan in the top of the 11th inning for a 7-3 win at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium.
1992 — The highest-paid player tag now belongs to Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs. The All-Star second baseman signs a four-year contract extension worth $7.1 million per season.
2000 — Atlanta became the first NL team in 49 years to win 15 straight games by defeating the Dodgers 5-3.
2002 — Mike Cameron hit four homers and came close to a record-setting fifth in leading the Seattle Mariners to a 15-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He became the 13th major leaguer to homer four times in a game. Cameron connected in his first four at-bats in just five innings. He joined Bret Boone as the first teammates to each hit two home runs in the same inning. They connected back-to-back twice in a 10-run first.
2005 — Thirty-two years after his death, Jackie Robinson receives the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, the highest honor Congress can bestow.
2005 — Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer off closer Danny Graves, and John Mabry added a two-run shot that completed the greatest ninth-inning comeback in St. Louis Cardinals history. The Cardinals sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to beat Cincinnati 10-9.
2006 — Bret Boone retires at the New York Mets training camp, the culmination of a swift decline for a player who was one of baseball’s best second basemen only a few years ago.
2012 — Jered Weaver pitched the second no-hitter in the majors in less than two weeks, completely overmatching Minnesota and leading the Angels to a 9-0 win over the Twins. The Twins never came close to getting a hit against Weaver, who struck out nine and walked one.
2025 — Riley Greene becomes the first player ever to homer twice in the ninth inning when he does so for the Tigers against the Angels.
Compiled by the Associated Press
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
LeBron James scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets to set up a Western Conference semi-final play-off against reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder.
James also added seven rebounds and eight assists to help the Lakers to a 98-78 victory, which secured a 4-2 series win against the Rockets.
The Lakers had led the series 3-0 and finally closed out the best-of-seven contest in convincing style away at Houston, whose top scorer was Amen Thompson with 18 points.
“A lot of our guys, quite frankly, have not been in this position, have not been in a close-out situation, especially on the road, so it was important for me to go out and set the tone,” said 41-year-old James.
Lakers coach JJ Redick was full of admiration for the performance of James, who is the first player to take part in 23 consecutive NBA seasons and is also the league’s record points scorer.
“To me, he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player,” said Redick. “You can argue all you want; I don’t care to postulate on who’s the greatest of all time.
“He’s one of, if not the greatest of all time, and for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it’s baffling in some ways.”
The Lakers face a tough task against the Thunder, who finished top of the Western Conference and secured a 4-0 series win against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA play-offs.
The first game of their best-of-seven series is in Oklahoma on Tuesday.
From Broderick Turner: An hour before tip-off of Game 5 of the first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, the word came down that Austin Reaves was available to play for the Lakers, his wait over, his time away with a Grade 2 left oblique strain no longer an issue for him.
Reaves missed the first four games of the series against Houston and the last five regular-season games after sustaining the injury in Oklahoma
City on April 2. He checked into the game off the bench with 5 minutes and 39 seconds left in the first quarter to a standing ovation.
Reaves proceeded to give the Lakers a lift, but the Rockets received even more elevated play , their five starters scoring in double figures and their defense on point during Houston’s 99-93 win over Los Angeles on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Even with Reaves scoring 22 points and handing out six assists and LeBron James producing 25 points and seven assists, the Lakers couldn’t close out this best-of-seven series they once had total command of just a few days ago.
The Lakers have lost the last two games and their once 3-0 lead heading to Houston with their lead down to 3-2.
“I mean, we don’t have a lot of time to dwell on it,” James said. “I mean, you can give yourself tonight, a little bit tomorrow. But … once we get on that plane and head down to Houston we got to forget about it and understand what we are going for and it’s going to be even harder.
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First round
All times Pacific
at Lakers 107, Houston 98 (box score)
at Lakers 101, Houston 94 (box score)
Lakers 112, at Houston 108 (box score)
at Houston 115, Lakers 96 (box score)
Houston 99, at Lakers 93 (box score)
Friday: Lakers at Houston, 6:30 p.m., Prime Video
*Sunday: Houston at Lakers, TBD
*-if necessary
From Kevin Baxter: Wednesday was getaway day for Dodgers, the final game of a six-game homestand ahead of a weeklong trip to St. Louis and Houston. And that’s a good thing, first baseman Freddie Freeman said, because there are a number of players on the team that really could use a getaway, Freeman chief among them.
With Wednesday’s 3-2 matinee loss to the Miami Marlins, the Dodgers (20-11) have lost two in a row at home for the first time this season. In those two games the Dodgers scored just three runs, went four for 18 with men in scoring position and left 16 runners on base.
And the final outs Wednesday came when Freeman, batting with the bases loaded and one out, grounded into a bizarre, unassisted double play with Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards fielding the ball, tagging Shohei Ohtani as he ran him back to first, then dragging his foot across the bag to retire Freeman.
“I hit it right at the second baseman. He tagged Ohtani and tagged first,” Freeman offered in an accurate, if hardly revelatory explanation.
Rookie Sam Antonacci hit a tying triple with two outs in the ninth inning and Colson Montgomery had a winning single in the 10th, lifting the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory Wednesday for a three-game sweep that extended the Angels’ losing streak to six.
Mike Trout hit his 10th home run of the season for the Angels, who have lost 10 of 11 and dropped to 12-20. Additionally, Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi left after two innings with left shoulder tightness.
Kikuchi gave up no runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout before exiting. His average fastball velocity dropped from 94.9 mph in the first inning to 92.8 mph in the second.
From Jay Posner: This year’s Kentucky Derby field does not appear to have a true standout. But it could have a star.
If that sounds illogical, trainer Chad Brown, who will start Emerging Market in a bid to win his first Derby, can explain.
“There’s clearly a couple horses that are deserving favorites in the race, but there’s by no means an American Pharoah in here, at least up to this point going into the race,” Brown said, referencing the 2015 Triple Crown champion. “Now, you know, whoever wins the race and goes on, maybe one emerges and turns into one of the best 3-year-olds in the last few years.”
That’s what happened last year, when Sovereignty, the third betting choice in the race, progressed from a Derby win to victories in the Belmont and Travers and was voted Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.
This year’s field is so deep, Brown said, that an argument could be made “for maybe half the horses in the field, if they ran their very, very best race and had a good trip, could win this race.”
From Marisa Ingemi: The Sparks will retire former player DeLisha Milton-Jones’ No. 8 jersey on July 28 when the team hosts the New York Liberty as a part of the WNBA’s 30th anniversary celebration.
A three-time All-Star, Milton-Jones played 11 years for the Sparks, helping lead them to back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002.
“It’s like one of those moments where it’s Christmas, and you’re anticipating getting a gift and when the day finally is here, that feeling you can’t even describe is rather euphoric and nostalgic all at the same time, and it brings a peace about you in a way that you can’t explain,” Milton-Jones said. “Because you put so much time, energy and effort into everything that you did in that moment in your life, and now to be rewarded in this manner is just pretty big.”
Milton-Jones will be the fourth Sparks player to have her number retired after Lisa Leslie (No. 9), Penny Toler (No. 11) and Candace Parker (No. 3).
From Steve Henson: Ever-growing power conferences are the driving force behind an impending expansion of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, which ESPN reported could be formalized within weeks and begin next season.
The field would grow from 68 teams to 76 that would include eight additional at-large teams in each tournament. The current First Four — eight teams playing four games — would expand to 12 games played by 24 teams at two sites on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the tournament. The traditional 64-team bracket would begin Thursday as usual.
Mid-majors likely are tempering any celebration. The change might not mean more invitations to the Big Dance for underdogs because the NCAA and its media partners favor large, established schools with large, established fan bases for viewership and revenue.
All times Pacific
at Edmonton 4, Ducks 3 (summary)
Ducks 6, at Edmonton 4 (summary)
at Ducks 7, Edmonton 4 (summary)
at Ducks 4, Edmonton 3 (OT) (summary)
at Edmonton 4, Ducks 1 (summary)
Thursday: Edmonton at Ducks, 7 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max, KCOP-13
*Saturday: Ducks at Edmonton, TBD
*-if necessary
1961 — LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Mickey Wright wins her 5th major title by 1 stroke from Patty Berg & Louise Suggs.
1962 — LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Mickey Wright wins her 8th major title in a playoff with Ruth Jessen.
1971 — The Milwaukee Bucks become the second team to register a four-game sweep in the NBA championship, beating the Baltimore Bullets 118-106.
1975 — Larry O’Brien is named the NBA’s third commissioner, following J. Walter Kennedy (1963-75) and Maurice Podoloff (1946-63). O’Brien holds the position until 1984.
1976 — Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Jimmy Young in Landover, Md., to retain his world heavyweight title.
1985 — NFL Draft: Virginia Tech defensive end Bruce Smith first pick by Buffalo Bills.
1987 — NY Islander Mike Bossy plays his final game.
1992 — The Red Wings and Canucks become the ninth and 10th teams in NHL history to rebound from 3-1 deficits to win playoff series. Detroit beats the Minnesota North Stars 5-2 in the Norris Division, while Vancouver defeats the Winnipeg Jets 5-0 in the Smythe Division.
1993 — Top-ranked Monica Seles is stabbed during a changeover in Hamburg, Germany. Guenter Parche, 38, reaches over a courtside railing and knifes Seles in the back. She has an inch-deep slit between her shoulder blades and missed the remainder of the 1993 season.
2005 — James Toney outpoints John Ruiz to win the WBA heavyweight title in New York. Toney, a former champion at three other weights, wins his third heavyweight bout, becoming the third one-time middleweight champion to take boxing’s top crown.
2010 — Tiger Woods matches the worst nine-hole score of his PGA Tour career and winds up with a 7-over 79 to miss the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship. Woods finishes at 9-over 153, the highest 36-hole total of his career. It’s the sixth time in his 14-year career he misses a cut.
2012 — Manchester City defeat Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in the English Premier League’s history.
2014 — Anze Kopitar scores the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and Jonathan Quick makes 39 saves to cap the Kings’ comeback from three games down with a 5-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 7 of the first round. This is the fourth time an NHL team won a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games.
2015 — For the first time in 51 years, the NFL draft returns to Chicago. Florida State’s Jameis Winston is selected by Tampa Bay as the first selection.
2023 — Seattle Kraken become first NHL franchise to earn its first-ever playoff series win against reigning Stanley Cup champion, eliminating the Colorado Avalanche in seven games.
Compiled by the Associated Press
1903 — The New York Highlanders won their home opener at Hilltop Park, 6-2 over Washington.
1919 — Philadelphia’s Joe Oeschger and Brooklyn’s Burleigh Grimes pitched complete games in a 9-9, 20-inning tie. Both teams scored three runs in the 19th inning. Oeschger gave up 22 hits and walked five, while Grimes allowed 15 hits and walked five.
1922 — Charlie Robertson of the Chicago White Sox pitched a 2-0 perfect game against the Detroit Tigers. Johnny Mostil, playing left field for the only time, made two outstanding catches.
1923 — The New York Yankees sign 20-year-old prospect Lou Gehrig to a contract paying him a salary of $2,000 and a bonus of $1,500.
1940 — James “Tex” Carleton of the Brooklyn Dodgers threw a 3-0 no-hitter at Cincinnati.
1944 — In the first game of a doubleheader split, New York first baseman Phil Weintraub drove in 11 runs and player-manager Mel Ott scored six runs as the Giants beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 26-8. Brooklyn won the nightcap 5-4.
1946 — Bob Feller struck out 11 New York Yankees en route to his second of three career no-hitters, a 1-0 victory at Yankee Stadium.
1952 — Ted Williams plays his final game before leaving for military duty in Korea.
1958 —Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox became the 10th major leaguer to reach 1,000 extra-base hits in a 10-4 loss to the Kansas City Athletics at Fenway Park.
1961 — Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hit four home runs and drove in eight runs in a 14-4 victory over the Braves in Milwaukee. Hank Aaron hit two homers for the Braves.
1967 — Steve Barber and Stu Miller of the Baltimore Orioles combined on a no-hitter in a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader.
1969 — Jim Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds struck out 13 en route to a 10-0 no-hitter over the Houston Astros, the third of his career.
1986 — The Seattle Mariners strike out 16 more times in a 9-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox, to set a major league record of 36 strikeouts in two consecutive games.
1988 — New York and Cincinnati hooked up in a wild game at Riverfront Stadium, with the Mets winning 6-5 on a delayed call by first base umpire Dave Pallone. The call resulted in a $10,000 fine and 30-day suspension of Reds manager Pete Rose when Pallone accidentally poked Rose in the cheek and Rose shoved Pallone twice.
1994 — Toronto’s Joe Carter finished April with 31 RBIs to set a major league record for the month. Colorado’s Andres Galarraga finished with 30 to set a National League record.
1996 — Jeff King of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the third major leaguer to hit two home runs in one inning twice in his career.
2000 — Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks defeats the Chicago Cubs, 6-0, as he becomes only the third pitcher in major league history to win six games in April.
2002 — Al Leiter cruised through seven three-hit innings in the New York Mets’ 10-1 rout of Arizona to become the first pitcher to beat all 30 teams in the majors.
2005 — Major league players are asked by Commissioner Bud Selig to agree to a 50-game suspension for the first offense, a 100-game suspension for the second offense and a lifelong ban after the third offense for the use of steroids.
2008 — Julio Franco announces his retirement as a player at age 49.
2012 — Ryan Braun hit three homers and a two-run triple in Milwaukee’s 8-3 win over San Diego. No player had hit three homers and a triple in a game since Fred Lynn in 1975.
2017 — Anthony Rendon had 10 RBIs, three home runs and six hits, powering the Washington Nationals past the New York Mets 23-5. Rendon went a career-best 6 for 6 and scored five times.
2019 — CC Sabathia becomes the 17th pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts.
2020 — The latest event to be cancelled due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic is the annual Little League World Series.
2022 — Clayton Kershaw becomes the Dodgers’ all-time franchise leader for strikeouts when he fans Spencer Torkelson of the Tigers in the 4th inning. With 2,697 strikeouts, he moves past Hall of Famer Don Sutton.
Compiled by the Associated Press
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Welcome to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where the brooms are going back in the closet.
The Lakers squandered their first playoff sweep since 2010, but are still one win away from their first playoff series win of the JJ Redick era.
Three weeks ago, even this moral victory of a 3-1 lead seemed out of reach. Now actually grabbing a spot in the conference semifinals could take more than one super-human performance.
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The forceful drives turned into desperation jumpers. The dominant dunks became limp layups that dribbled off the rim.
LeBron James carried the Lakers to a historically insurmountable 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series against the Houston Rockets. But with a chance to clinch the series Sunday, he showed just how much the Lakers need someone else to help carry the team across the finish line.
James had his worst shooting game of the season, settling for 10 points on two-of-nine shooting. The nine field-goal attempts he took were tied for the fewest he’s taken in a playoff game. He didn’t extend his streak of consecutive playoff games with double-digit scoring to 144 until the fourth quarter.
Just after accepting a third-option role behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, James was thrust back into the top spot when the star guards were injured April 2. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer had no problem putting on his Superman cape again. He started taking — and making — more shots than he had in months. His usage rate spiked.
But with the ball back in his hands more, James had eight turnovers in each of the last two games. The turnovers, 24 total by the Lakers on Sunday, were their “kryptonite,” James said.
The Lakers’ lack of guard play is becoming a glaring weakness.
“That’s the biggest challenge we have is just the ballhandling and downhill drivers, not having those guys,” Redick said.
Doncic and Reaves are progressing in their returns. Just three weeks after his oblique injury, Reaves was questionable for Games 3 and 4. He even warmed up before the games. But his timeline for return is still indefinite.
Considering the Lakers’ 3-0 start to the series, it might be safe to think the team would just wait until the conference semifinals for Reaves’ return. Redick said it’s fair to consider all factors when deciding when to bring Reaves back. But after a long conversation with the guard Saturday, Redick said the most important variable is the player’s confidence.
“That’s always the final hurdle coming back from an injury,” Redick said, “is the psychological component of it.”
Doncic, hampered by a balky hamstring, is ramping up, but is still not as close as Reaves.
The hope of getting their two most important players back was “a carrot” for the Lakers to keep extending their season, Redick said. A two-day break between games could be just as significant of a lifeline.
The one day of rest between Games 3 and 4 was the shortest of the series so far. The Lakers, led by 41-year-old James and 32-year-old Marcus Smart, looked especially desperate for the extra downtime.
Smart was wearing inflatable compression boots on both legs in the locker room before the game. Lakers were dropping passes like they were loose coffee plans with someone who lives across town.
Meanwhile the 23-year-old Alperen Sengun was doing spin moves in transition, finishing through contact and flexing toward the crowd in the third quarter with the Rockets up by more than 20.
Smart insisted the mistakes were mental. They looked like physical fatigue manifesting as mental blunders.
“It’s something we gotta clean up,” said Smart, who had four turnovers Sunday. “We know it, we understand it.”
The Lakers have time to fix it. The two-day break between Games 4 and 5 will be the last such break of this series if the Lakers let this stretch on.
This series is 30 inexplicable seconds away from being 2-2.
That critical stretch of Game 3 swung the Lakers’ postseason.
NBA teams that have a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series are 159-0. Since 1984 – when the NBA expanded its playoffs to 16 teams – teams with home-court advantage in the current series format are 125-42. Had that comeback never materialized, the Lakers would still have the upper hand in this series but they surely wouldn’t be invincible.
In a tighter-than-it-appears series, the Lakers have their 3-1 lead thanks to a run of hot shooting.
They were already the NBA’s most efficient shooting team, but the early part of the playoff success came from a sudden uptick in three-point shooting. The Lakers’ 40.8% three-point shooting through the first four games was 5.1 percentage points better than their regular-season mark. On the other hand, the Rockets are shooting 5.1 percentage points worse than their regular-season rate.
The Lakers identified turnovers and limiting offensive rebounds as the two most important items against the Rockets. They’ve struggled on both. The Lakers averaged 20 turnovers per game in the first four games and gave up 16.8 offensive rebounds. The Rockets’ 39% offensive rebounding rate is almost identical to their league-leading 38.8% from the regular season.
The Lakers have turned the ball over on 20.9% of their possessions, the highest turnover rate in the playoffs.
The Rockets have scored 21.5 points per game off the Lakers’ turnovers, the second-most of any team in the playoffs. Only Oklahoma City — the team that’s waiting for the winner of this series — has scored more points off turnovers in the playoffs.
Wednesday vs. Rockets, 7 p.m.
The Lakers can clinch the series at home and earn extra rest days before facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals. The Thunder finished a sweep of the No. 8 seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round Monday.
Friday at Rockets, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)
If this game is necessary, it will be especially difficult to win for the Lakers. Both teams will have to travel from L.A. to Houston and we just watched what happens when the shorthanded Lakers play on one day of rest in the playoffs.
Sunday vs. Rockets, TBD (Game 7, if necessary)
The Rockets are trying to become the fifth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. The 2023 Celtics were the last team to even a series after a three-game deficit. Smart’s Celtics lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat.
Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain)
Approaching the four-week mark, Doncic is ramping up his on-court work. On Sunday, he progressed to more movement instead of standstill shooting. He is still out indefinitely.
Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain)
Reaves’ return has been faster than many expected. He was questionable for Games 3 and 4, a quick three-week turnaround from his initial injury on April 2.
Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain)
After missing Game 1 with a knee bruise, Durant sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and missed the next two games. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Sunday pain and limited range of motion because of a bone bruise in Durant’s ankle are keeping him sidelined, but there’s a chance he returns this series.
Seafood boil with the Combo No. 4 (crawfish, snowcrab, shrimp, corn and potato) at Crawfish Cafe in Houston.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
This was a culinary bucket list item for me: Viet cajun food in Houston.
At Crawfish Cafe, you choose your seafood combination for a delicious, and slightly messy, seafood boil. I went for a combination of crawfish, shrimp and snow crab tossed in a mix of Viet cajun and Thai basil sauces. But there are more than a half-dozen sauce choices, so with that many options left to explore, maybe I wouldn’t be mad if this series returns to Houston.
Plaschke: No sweep, big problem for Lakers after Game 4 loss to Rockets
Even the Rockets thought Deandre Ayton’s controversial ejection was ‘soft’
Turnover-plagued Lakers fail to pull off sweep in Game 4 loss to Rockets
‘It keeps getting better and better.’ Bronny James settling into Lakers playoff role
Plaschke: Believe yet? Lakers leave no doubt in stunning comeback win over Rockets
LeBron James and Lakers showcase their clutch-time prowess in Game 3 win
Rare Kobe Bryant trading card ‘at the top of every wish list’ sells for record sum
Swanson: Lakers’ JJ Redick makes a case that he’s the right coach for the playoffs
As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!
HOUSTON — Deandre Ayton has a simple explanation for his first career ejection.
“We’re both sweaty guys,” the Lakers center said after his accidental elbow to the back of Alperen Sengun‘s head resulted in his ejection from Sunday’s loss to the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers center was assessed a flagrant foul 2 with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter of the 115-96 Game 4 loss. It “looked crazy on camera,” Ayton acknowledged, but it was not malicious.
Ayton said he was bracing for contact against the 6-foot-11, 243-pound Sengun and Ayton’s arm simply slipped off Sengun’s shoulder and hit his head. It didn’t affect Sengun at all: he finished with 19 points and six rebounds on six-of-12 shooting as the Rockets forced a Game 5 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PDT at Crypto.com Arena.
“I’m not no guy who is a dirty player or plays like that,” Ayton said. “If anything, me trying to play dirty, I’ll damn near hurt myself. I just hope he’s all right and they don’t think it was intentional.”
Sengun and Rockets coach Ime Udoka both said the flagrant 2 call — which characterizes an act as “unnecessary and excessive” — was “soft.” Sengun said he didn’t expect Ayton to be ejected for the play. When crew chief James Williams declared that Ayton would be sent off, the Lakers center simply dropped his head and walked to the locker room. Injured Rockets star Kevin Durant, who missed the game with a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle, waved goodbye from the Rockets bench.
“We’re proud of the way he handled it, and I think that just speaks volume about who he is and his progression,” Lakers guard Marcus Smart said. “He’s learning, he’s continuing — it probably would have been justifiable if he went off, right? But to keep his composure and stay positive, I think that’s only going to help him and this team.”
Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt (2) and Deandre Ayton (5) go up for a rebound against Houston forward Tari Eason during the first half Sunday.
(Karen Warren / Associated Press)
It was the first time Ayton was ejected in his eight-year NBA career. The center, to the chagrin of many in the NBA, has long been known more for his finesse touch shots than physical play. Lakers coach JJ Redick called Ayton, “a sweet, just, like, kind soul.”
Lakers coaches and teammates have tried to encourage him to increase his intensity and aggressiveness. General manager Rob Pelinka even made a custom shirt with half of Ayton’s face next to the face of a lion.
Ayton answered the call Sunday with 19 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of the Lakers’ only forms of consistent offense in the blowout loss. Outside of Ayton and Rui Hachimura, who shot six for 10 with 13 points, the Lakers were shooting 31.3% from the field in the first three quarters. They trailed by as many as 26 points as Smart and LeBron James, veterans who led the team to a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, looked worn down with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) still sidelined.
“It’s been tough for DA,” said Smart, who had nine points, five assists and four turnovers. “We’ve been hard on him. He’s been hard on himself. You guys have been hard on him. … He’s been taking it, embracing it and trying to get better and better. Today he showed that. He came out, we relied on him a little bit more. He made plays for us.”
Ayton soon had company in the Lakers locker room after teammate Adou Thiero and Rockets guard Aaron Holiday were both ejected after receiving two technical fouls with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. They got tangled up under the basket and exchanged words briefly.
Thiero, who entered the game midway through the fourth quarter when the Lakers cleared their bench, made a memorable playoff debut by scoring his first postseason basket with an emphatic alley-oop dunk over Dorian Finney-Smith. But the premature ending to his first postseason appearance was “uncalled for,” James said.
“It made no sense,” said James, who had 10 points and nine assists but eight turnovers. “… I don’t think that was warranted. Give him two technicals? The kid just got in the game.”
At the end of the physical game, players from both teams jawed back and forth at midcourt after the final buzzer. Much of the Lakers bench and some coaches approached to help diffuse the situation. Redick said he was simply poking his head into the situation the way people might turn their heads to gawk at commotion in a bar. When he determined nothing was happening, he left.
“Hilarious,” Smart said with a smirk of the postgame skirmish. “Very hilarious.”
HOUSTON — The Lakers still have control of this first-round series, even after the blow they took from the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
As ugly as their 115-96 loss was, the Lakers still hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
All the Lakers have to do is win Game 5 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena and they will advance to the second round.
But they will have to play better than they did in Game 4.
LeBron James, who played a stellar 45 minutes during the Lakers’ overtime win Friday night, wasn’t as spry. He had just 10 points, reaching double figures on a floater with 8:37 left and the Lakers down 26.
He was just two for nine from the field and he had eight turnovers. James also had nine assists and became the first player in NBA history to record 3,000 field goals in the playoffs.
Luke Kennard was quiet with seven points, and Marcus Smart had nine, both on three-for-eight shooting. Rui Hachimura had 13 points on six-for-10 shooting.
The bigger concern was the Lakers’ inability to take care of the ball. They turned it over 24 times, their most in the series, though they’ve had 20 or more in three of the four games.
All of Houston’s starters scored in double figures. Amen Thompson had 23 points and seven assists, and Alperen Sengen finished with 19 points and six rebounds.
When the Lakers went down by 17 points in the third quarter on a Thompson basket that was part of Houston’s 12-4 run to open the frame, Lakers coach JJ Redick called a timeout to allow his players to collect themselves.
Lakers star LeBron James drives to the basket over Houston’s Reed Sheppard, left, and Alperen Sengun during the first half Sunday.
(Karen Warren / Associated Press)
It didn’t help, as the Lakers’ deficit swelled to 26 points.
It didn’t get better for the Lakers later in the quarter when Deandre Ayton was ejected because of a flagrant foul for his left elbow striking Sengun on the side of the head.
Ayton was having one of his best games in the playoffs, bouncing back from two quiet efforts to post 19 points and 10 rebounds before he was ejected with 5:41 left in the third quarter.
Austin Reaves shot before the game in an attempt to play for the first time since being injured April 2 at Oklahoma City, and again he was downgraded from questionable to out because of a left oblique muscle strain.
In the end, the Lakers saw no need to rush Reaves back considering how they had dominated the series. Two days off before Game 5 will give Reaves more time to get healthy.
“It’s fair to consider everything,” Redick said. “Austin and I had a conversation yesterday for a long time, and I think ultimately the athlete has to feel confidence, and that’s always the final hurdle coming back from an injury, is the psychological component of it.”
For the Rockets, Kevin Durant missed his third game of the series because of a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle.
Lakers point guard Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) continues to work out on the court, but there’s no timetable for his return.
“[He] was able to move a little bit today on the court, which, you know, most of the stuff had been stand-still,” Redick said. “So he’s progressing, but no update on any timeline or anything like that.”
LeBron James was exhausted. Marcus Smart was drained. Luke Kennard was invisible.
The Lakers were cooked, the playoff magic finally drained from a team without its two leading scorers, a team in the process of making every conceivable mistake, reality bouncing off their feet and ricocheting off their hips and falling out of their hands.
On a jarring Friday night at Houston’s Toyota Center, the Rockets led by six with 30 seconds remaining and had possession of the ball. They just needed to get it upcourt. They just needed to play catch.
The Lakers were done.
And if you believe that, then you don’t believe what they believe.
They believed Smart would steal a terrible backcourt pass, absorb a terrible shooting foul and make three free throws.
They believed James would knock away a dribble on the next possession, run to beyond the three-point line, take a pass from Kennard and sink a game-tying trey.
They believed in the miracle of forcing this game into overtime, then believed in the destiny of a 112-108 victory to take an historically insurmountable three-games-to-none lead in a first-round playoff series they should have lost.
How frantic was that finish? In the postseason over the last 29 years, NBA teams that led by six or more points in the last 30 seconds are now 1,713-2.
“It was just a gutty win for us,” James said.
Gutty, gritty, growling, great, great win.
“Everything that we needed to do, even when it wasn’t pretty, we just kind of found a way to do it,” said coach JJ Redick. “And … we’re playing hard. I mean, that’s what you have to do to put yourself in a position to win.”
Lakers center Deandre Ayton, right, and guard Marcus Smart slap hands as they celebrate in overtime during their win Friday.
(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)
They are true believers, this bunch, as much as any Laker team has believed since the 2020 championship run, perhaps more than any other Lakers team in history.
They believe in their legendary leader, LeBron. They believe in the playoff-tough Smart. They believe in their connectivity, in their desperation, in their destiny.
They believe this is a special team. Once they get their two injured scorers back — and Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic are apparently returning faster than anyone imagined — they believe this could be a championship-contending team.
They will find out in the next round, when their opponent will be either the defending champions from Oklahoma City or the the Phoenix Suns.
Even if they finish off the Rockets in a sweep — and this series is already over considering NBA teams are 159-0 with a 3-0 lead — they will be considerable underdogs moving forward.
Surely they were lucky that star Kevin Durant didn’t play in two of these three games, including missing Friday’s Game 3 with a sprained ankle.
Surely they can’t keep winning games with 21 turnovers and half as many offensive rebounds and blown 15-point leads.
Surely that even if Reaves and Doncic return, they will revert to being the same team that lost to Oklahoma City by 43 points and lost to San Antonio by 16 in their most recent meetings while at full strength.
Surely they’re not this deep and committed and inspired as they’ve shown in these first three games.
Right? Wrong. Were you watching?
The Rockets used numerous Lakers mistakes and defensive mistakes to take the lead in the final five minutes and seemingly hold it for a series-changing victory. The dagger appeared to be a fastbreak dunk by Alperen Sengun to give the Rockets a 101-95 lead and eventually the ball with the crowd roaring and barely 30 seconds left.
Little did they know the Lakers had them right where they wanted them.
“We’ve talked … about elevating everything,” said Redick, later adding, “You have to elevate your poise, you have to elevate your composure, recognizing that there’s going to be moments where the crowd’s going crazy or you get down, they make a run, whatever it may be. We weathered a lot tonight. … And then, in that moment, just to have the poise to just keep playing.”
The Lakers had that poise. The Rockets lost their cool.
In that moment… what was Jabari Smith Jr. doing throwing a looping backcourt pass to apparently nobody? And after Smart grabbed it and threw up a desperate three… what was Jae’Sean Tate doing fouling him?
“I see Tate running really fast and I’m like, ‘OK, he probably not going to be able to stop in time,’” explained Smart. “So, I just pulled up right away and he ran right under me, exactly what happened. So, it was a smart play. That’s part of my vet, being a vet and my vet savvy. Been in the league for 12 years. I picked up some tricks from some guys.”
Even after the vet’s three free throws, the Rockets still could have easily won this, but… what was Reed Sheppard doing casually dribbling the ball upcourt without noticing James behind him? James knocked the ball away for the steal, eventually got it back, and drained a trey with 13 seconds remaining for the eventual overtime-sending gut punch.
“We don’t have the luxury of being passive or being complacent,” James said. “Our whole mindset is we have to do everything it takes in that particular game and that particular moment in that particular possession in order for us to win basketball games, because we don’t have a long leash of error. We don’t have a lot [of room] for error.”
Once they reached the extra period, well, it was over the moment an angrily stunned Sengun threw a towel to the floor in front of the Rockets’ bench moments after the end of regulation.
The Rockets were unnerved and eventually undone.
Smart started the extra period by hitting a three, then kept the Lakers’ mojo going with a flying save of a rebound that became a Rui Hachimura layup.
Soon thereafter James went to the floor fighting for a ball, then missed a shot that Smart came out of nowhere to grab the offensive rebound, leading to two free throws that eventually put the game out of reach.
Even on a night when James scored 29 points, had 13 rebounds, and threw an ally-oop pass to son Bronny for a reverse layup — so cool! — the hero here was Smart.
He was signed by the Lakers last summer for his postseason toughness and savvy, and he showed every bit of it Friday, with 21 points, 10 assists and five steals. Not to mention, eight points in overtime.
“You got to leave it all on the court, because you never know,” Smart said. ”Because you never know. It can be taken away at any moment, right? And with two of our best players down, we got to play desperate. We got to be the most desperate team and that’s how we have been playing and that’s how we are winning, right? The chemistry has been built because of that.”
It’s a chemistry that works. It’s a chemistry that has built a faith even amid Friday night’s immeasurably high hurdle, a faith that should persist beyond the framework of this finished first-round series.
Down six. Thirty seconds left. Steal the game. Steal the series.
Believe.
HOUSTON — LeBron James tapped the ball away from Houston’s Reed Sheppard. Marcus Smart fired a two-handed pass to James, who bobbled it and slapped it to Luke Kennard. Kennard faked a shot. He whipped a pass back to James.
Down three with 14 seconds left in regulation of Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs Friday, James lined up a three. Two Houston players ran into each other while desperately trying to defend the shot.
With the ball hanging in the air and the game on the line, was there ever a doubt on the Lakers’ bench?
“Absolutely not,” guard Bronny James said. “It’s the Lakers.”
Already one of the league’s best clutch-time teams, the Lakers stirred up magic again Friday, overcoming a six-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to earn a 112-108 overtime win over the Houston Rockets. The Lakers took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and will go for their first playoff series sweep since the second round in 2010 on Sunday in Houston.
The Lakers already won two nervy road games over the Rockets during the regular season. But the hero from those wins was dressed in a crisp white T-shirt and gray pants Friday. Luka Doncic, nursing a left hamstring injury, even took off his white jacket during the dramatic overtime. He had no reason to worry with James at the helm.
The 41-year-old played 45 minutes and four seconds, hit the game-tying three-pointer with 13.6 seconds left in regulation and had a team-high 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Smart had 21 points, 10 assists and, for the second straight game, five steals, including one with 27.8 seconds left in regulation that set up three critical free throws.
The veterans have played in 406 combined playoff games and, hoping to add another win, showed the mentality shaped through each one.
Lakers forwards Jarred Vanderbilt, left, and LeBron James celebrate after their overtime against the Houston Rockets in Game 3 on Friday night.
(Michael Wyke / Associated Press)
“We’re just trying to have that killer mentality right now,” said Smart, who had eight of the Lakers’ 11 overtime points. “We got them on the ropes and then it’s our job to try to finish.”
The Rockets were desperate to avoid the dreaded 0-3 hole. They stormed back from a 15-point first-half deficit and took a one-point lead with 4:59 remaining on a three-pointer from Sheppard. The Houston crowd, which did not fill up until well into the first quarter, erupted.
James turned the ball over for the fourth time in the fourth quarter when Alperen Sengun tipped a bounce pass away from Kennard. Sengun appeared to punctuate the season-saving win with a one-handed dunk over James with 40.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
In the moment, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura admitted later, the Lakers felt a slight dip in their energy. They needed something to turn the tide.
Smart intercepted a lazy pass by Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr., and Jae’Sean Tate fouled the Lakers guard on a three-point attempt with 25.4 seconds left. He made all three free throws. The crowd grew restless. When James hit the game-tying three, those wearing the Rockets’ red T-shirts stood in stunned silence.
A vocal minority of Lakers fans were buzzing.
“Next play. Next play,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of the Lakers’ mindset during the critical stages of the game. “I mean, look, there’s a lot of things that happened tonight that were not perfect. … But you just kind of get onto the next play. And that, to me, is a hallmark of poise; that’s a hallmark of composure.”
While the Lakers had the league’s best record in clutch time games during the regular season (22-8), the Rockets ranked 16th. With a 22-23 record in games within five points in the final five minutes, the Rockets had the fifth-most clutch-time losses. Only Indiana, Memphis, Brooklyn, Dallas and New Orleans had more such losses.
Houston coach Ime Udoka called the foul on Smart “terrible.” Instead of passing to a wide-open Sengun, Sheppard tried to split a double-team on the decisive turnover. Sengun’s attempt at a game-winner when he got stood up by Jaxon Hayes on a turnaround baseline floater wasn’t the play the Rockets drew up, Udoka said.
“Horrendous mistakes,” the third-year Rockets coach said. “I don’t want to say youth or scared of the moment or whatever the case.”
The Rockets, who lost in seven games in the first round of the playoffs last year, were without star Kevin Durant for the second time this series. He missed the game with a sprained left ankle, an injury he sustained in the fourth quarter of Game 2. He was sidelined for Game 1 because of a knee contusion he picked up in practice. The 37-year-old was remarkably durable this season, ranking second in the NBA in minutes played. His presence was a lifeline for a team that lost point guard Fred VanVleet to a torn anterior cruciate ligament last September.
Durant was ruled out about 90 minutes before tip off. When told of the injury update during his pregame news conference, Redick was not fazed. The Lakers know who they have on their side.
Published On 25 Apr 202625 Apr 2026
The Los Angeles Lakers, fuelled by 29 points from LeBron James, beat the Houston Rockets 112-108 in an overtime thriller to take a 3-0 stranglehold in their NBA playoff series.
James, the 41-year-old superstar playing in his 19th postseason, came up with a steal and a game-tying three-pointer with 13.6 seconds left in regulation on Friday.
list of 4 itemsend of list
He could not get a potential game-winner to drop at the buzzer, but added a steal and a block in a frantic overtime as the Lakers pushed the Rockets to the brink of elimination in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
No NBA team has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series.
“Just trying to seize the opportunity,” James, who added 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals, told broadcaster Prime. “My guys trust me to try to make plays and I’m blessed to be able to do it.”
The Lakers will have a chance to close out the series in Houston on Sunday. It is not a position many expected them to be in with league-leading scorer Luka Doncic sidelined by a hamstring strain and key offensive contributor Austin Reaves out with an oblique injury.
The young Rockets, with veteran star Kevin Durant sidelined by a sprained ankle, were led by Alperen Sengun’s 33 points and 16 rebounds.
They rallied from an early 15-point deficit and led by six with fewer than 30 seconds left in regulation.
But their mistakes caught up with them. A Houston turnover was followed by a foul on Marcus Smart as he attempted a three-pointer.
Smart made all three free throws to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 101-98 and set the stage for James’s game-tying basket.
Sengun missed a potential go-ahead basket before James was off-target from beyond the arc and they went to overtime, Smart scoring eight of his 21 points in the extra session as the Lakers pulled away.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 25 points apiece to lead the Celtics to a hard-fought 108-100 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
The Sixers had grabbed game two in Boston to knot the series at one game apiece.
In a game that neither team led by more than 10 points, the Celtics took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Maxey’s three-pointer briefly put the Sixers up 85-84 with 8:42 remaining, and Philadelphia were within one when Tatum drilled a three-pointer that pushed Boston’s lead to 100-96 with 1:57 left to play.
Payton Pritchard added another three-pointer with the shot-clock winding down before Tatum – who missed most of the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs – drained a dagger trey that sealed it for Boston.
“We just were resilient,” Tatum told broadcaster Prime. “We stuck with it. It’s a game of runs – good team and just, you’ve got to answer.”
Maxey scored 31 points to lead the Sixers. Paul George added 18 and rookie VJ Edgecombe added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Sixers star Joel Embiid, still recovering from an emergency appendectomy earlier this month, was ruled out shortly before the game.
“He’s just not ready,” said Sixers coach Nick Nurse, whose team will try to even the series when they host game four on Sunday.
Stephon Castle had 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame the absence of Victor Wembanyama to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-108 on Friday night for a 2-1 series lead.
Dylan Harper added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who trailed by 15 points in the third quarter. Game 4 of the first-round series will be on Sunday at the Moda Center.
Before the game, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson announced that Wembanyama would not play while he continues to recover from a concussion he sustained in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Jrue Holiday had 29 points for the Trail Blazers, who were making their first home playoff appearance since 2021, but could not ultimately take advantage of Wembanyama’s absence.
Portland led 82-67 in the third quarter but the Spurs clawed back with a 21-5 run to take an 88-87 lead into the final period. Castle’s step-back jumper and a pair of free throws gave the Spurs a 105-95 lead midway through the fourth and the Trail Blazers collapsed.
Wembanyama – the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award – went down in the second quarter of the Spurs’ 106-103 Game 2 loss in San Antonio.
Johnson would not elaborate on Wembanyama’s condition, only to say he was progressing. He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season. His status for Sunday’s game was not known.
Luke Kornet started against the Trail Blazers as Wembanyama watched from the bench, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Portland went on a 15-2 run in the first half to go up 50-43 and led 65-59 at the break after Jerami Grant’s 3-pointer.
In the final moments of the half, Fox was handed an offensive foul when he charged towards the basket and elbowed Deni Avdija in the face. Johnson challenged the call and it was overturned to a defensive foul on Avdija, who had chipped a tooth but kept playing.
The only thing that would make the job JJ Redick is doing better is if he were wearing a suit.
If the Lakers’ coach looked the part.
The part of a lawyer, walking down his opposition in the open court. He delivered an airtight opening argument that was stunning for how much stronger it was than opposing coach Ime Udoka’s. And evidence of how far Redick has come.
Now, look, your honor: The short-on-star-power Lakers winning both games at home to take a 2-0 series lead over the heavily favored Houston Rockets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs? That’s a compelling start.
But Redick, James and Associates are only halfway there; they’re still proving their case.
They still need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that their top role players can perform as persuasively on the road as they have at home.
And they’ll probably have to prove they can effectively rebut the Rockets’ adjustments, though those are merely conceptual at this point, they’re so overdue.
Two games into this series it looks to us, the members of the jury, as though Redick has taken this allegedly open-and-shut case, this slam dunk of a trial — and thrown down a reverse.
The Lakers look like the better team. Like the better-constructed team, even. And that’s without injured stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are hustling back as fast as their bodies will let them from hamstring and oblique injuries, respectively.
They look like the better-coached team.
It’s the opposing counsel who looks dressed for the part, Udoka in a sweatsuit like a dad at a Saturday morning youth league trying to get his players to get along, with just one play in his pocket: Give the ball to Kevin.
Meanwhile, the legal team minding the game in the Lakers’ huddle is running laps around the guys on the other bench.
Coach JJ Redick and forward LeBron James have helped the Lakers earn a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series agains the favored Rockets without injured guards Luke Doncic and Austin Reaves.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Exhibit A: One of the game’s greatest scorers, Kevin Durant, has been forced by his own team to do a lot of ballhandling chores too. So the Lakers have been double-teaming and blitzing Durant all over the court, compelling him into nine turnovers in Tuesday’s 101-94 Game 2 victory at Crypto.com Arena. Using the same strategy, they’ve turned him over 20 times in his last three meetings with the Lakers, going back to the regular season.
Exhibit B: By playing drop, hedge, man and mixing zone defenses, the Lakers also have been, according to Marcus Smart’s postgame testimony, “throwing different packages” at the Rockets. It’s working: Houston has failed to score 100 points in either game of the series.
Exhibit C: The Lakers are putting the ball in Smart’s hands, using him in a way that forces the Rockets to defend honestly, instead of sagging off him. They’ve also been intentional with how they leverage Luke Kennard, running actions that overrule his reluctance to shoot. It should please the court to see the man shooting 65.4% (17 for 26) from the field in the first two games!
With these tactics and others, the Lakers seem almost to be creating new precedent for the laws of basketball, because what do you mean the Rockets have taken 44 more shots but have been outscored by 16 points?
What makes it so wildly impressive is that before the Lakers brought this thing to trial, it looked as though it would be thrown out on the grounds of insufficient star power.
With just 41-year-old LeBron James to carry them without Doncic and Reaves, Houston seemed so much stronger. Physically, on the boards, in just about every way — except in terms of chemistry, camaraderie and communication.
Even Udoka’s record seemed superior. In 2021-22, his first (and only) season as the Boston Celtics’ coach, he led them to the NBA Finals.
Redick, in his first playoffs as a coach last year, showed such contempt for his own team and made an absolute mockery of the game plan that got the Lakers to the postseason in the first place. Remember how he panicked, refusing even to approach the bench to give his preferred five a breather for a full losing half in Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves? The little tantrum he threw when asked about it before the Game 5 finale?
The Duke graduate and self-proclaimed “basketball sicko” has appeared much more prepared this time, much more composed.
He seems to be in his element, problem-solving alongside his former podcast host, James, who has stepped right up with 47 points, 20 assists and 16 rebounds — including some highlight-reel dunks and passes — through the first two games. We are all witnesses.
Still, this thing is going to last at least two more games, and possibly more, before we get a verdict.
And if it goes the Lakers’ way?
Congratulations, JJ, you will have earned the reputation as a coach who can take on the toughest cases and win them. And do we have an impossible challenge for you next on the docket.
The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder are young, deep, and up 2-0 in their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. The defending-champion Thunder have run the Lakers out of court in every meeting this season, beating them by an average of 29 points. And they’re clever too; referees — those judges on the court — always seem so sympathetic to OKC.
Would the Lakers have any chance? Redick is proving he might be able to make a case.
From Broderick Turner: Do the Lakers have a new Big Three?
LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard are putting in their bid to make it so.
They combined for 76 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists to lead the Lakers to a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs.
James had another near triple-double with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to help the Lakers take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. His two-handed dunk with 55.3 seconds left made sure the Lakers didn’t blow a 15-point lead they built in the first half.
Smart had 25 points, seven assists and two rebounds while his defense was outstanding once again.
Kennard had 23 points, six rebounds and two assists. His two free throws with 14.3 seconds left capped the scoring.
This season was his ‘last chance.’ Can Lakers’ Deandre Ayton deliver in the playoffs?
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First round
All times Pacific
at Lakers 107, Houston 98 (box score)
at Lakers 101, Houston 94 (box score)
Friday: Lakers at Houston, 5:30 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
Sunday: Lakers at Houston, 6:30 p.m., NBC
*Wed., April 29: Houston at Lakers, TBD
*Friday, May 1: Lakers at Houston, TBD
*Sunday, May 3: Houston at Lakers, TBD
*-if necessary
From Kevin Baxter: The Kings haven’t won an NHL playoff series since the last time they won the Stanley Cup, which is to say it’s been a while.
They’re halfway to another early exit after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, a result that gave the Avalanche a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The winning goal came from Nicolas Roy 7:44 in the extra period.
The Kings’ lone goal came from Artemi Panarin while captain Gabriel Landeskog had the other Colorado goal.
“We did play really well,” interim coach D.J. Smith said. “We’ve got to find a way to win a game. Clearly, good isn’t enough. We’ve got to win a game and keep taking a piece of them and keep playing physical and give ourselves a chance to keep lengthening the series.”
Panarin gave the Kings a 1-0 lead on a wrister from the inside edge of the right circle with less than seven minutes left in regulation. It was his second power-play goal of the series and it came on the Kings’ fifth power play of the night.
All times Pacific
at Colorado 2, Kings 1 (summary)
at Colorado 2, Kings 1 (OT) (summary)
Thursday: Colorado at Kings, 7 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Sunday: Colorado at Kings, 1:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max
*Wed., April 29: Kings at Colorado, TBD
*Friday, May 1: Colorado at Kings, TBD
*Sunday, May 3: Kings at Colorado, TBD
*- If necessary
All times Pacific
at Edmonton 4, Ducks 3 (summary)
Wednesday: Ducks at Edmonton, 7 p.m., TBS, HBO Max
Friday: Edmonton at Ducks, 7 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max)
Sunday: Edmonton at Ducks, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Tuesday: Ducks at Edmonton, TBD
*Thursday, April 30: Edmonton at Ducks, TBD
*Saturday, May 2: Ducks at Edmonton, TBD
*-if necessary
From Bill Shaikin: Four games ago, the Dodgers were on a pace to win 128 games. They would win the National League West by, what, 20 or 30 games?
Today, for the first time this season, the Dodgers do not own sole possession of first place in the NL West.
They are tied for first with their rivals: the San Diego Padres.
“I don’t think anyone is too concerned about the Padres and what they are doing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Because the season is not even four weeks old, or because he is convinced the Dodgers have the better team?
“I just don’t think we really concern ourselves with anyone, to be quite honest,” Roberts said. “I think that’s the way we should think of things. It’s no disrespect to any team. We’ve got to keep our closet clean and play good baseball, and it’ll take care of itself.”
On a cold and intermittently rainy night in San Francisco, the Dodgers’ bats were cold, and most productive when not used. In a 3-1 loss to the Giants, the Dodgers scored their only run by bunching four walks in one hitless inning.
Who’s the Dodgers closer? Tanner Scott … maybe
Lenyn Sosa had a pinch-hit, two-run double during a three-run eighth inning, reliever Louis Varland bailed out struggling closer Jeff Hoffman by inducing a game-ending double-play grounder, and the Toronto Blue Jays held on for a 4-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday night.
Hoffman struck out Zach Neto to open the ninth, but Mike Trout singled and Jo Adell and Jorge Soler were hit by pitches to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Yoán Moncada’s RBI single made it 4-2.
Toronto manager John Schneider pulled Hoffman in favor of Varland, who needed only one pitch to get Nolan Schanuel to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, which was upheld after a lengthy review. Shortstop Andres Gimenez’s relay throw beat Schanuel, who slid head-first.
From Gary Klein: Star receiver Puka Nacua will fully participate in voluntary offseason workouts, the Rams are getting closer to another contract adjustment with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead hope backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decides to put off retirement and return for a third season and possible Super Bowl run.
McVay and Snead addressed those topics and the NFL draft on Tuesday during a videoconference with reporters.
Nacua led the NFL in receptions last season but also was involved in a string of off-the-field incidents the last few months, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit. Those situations put the brakes on any immediate discussion between the Rams and Nacua about a massive extension for the fourth-year pro.
In March, Nacua began a rehabilitation program in Malibu, but he was present for the first day of workouts on Monday.
Nacua, 24, “looks great” and is “doing really well,” McVay said. McVay declined to detail discussions he’s had with the All-Pro, who was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.
From Kevin Baxter: Amid reports of lagging sales for this summer’s World Cup, which kicks off in less than 60 days, FIFA announced Tuesday that a new ticket inventory for all 104 matches will be available for purchase beginning Wednesday at 8 a.m. PDT at FIFA.com/tickets.
Tickets will be available across categories one through three in addition to the front-row seat categories, depending on the match. Tickets in this phase will remain on sale through the end of the tournament. Additional tickets will also be released to the public on an ongoing basis through the World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said more than five million tickets have already been sold for what will be the largest World Cup in history, which would break the tournament attendance record of 3.5 million set in 1994, the only other time the games were played in the U.S.
From Kevin Baxter: On the soccer pitch, Cobi Jones was defined by blinding speed, a tireless work rate and an exceptional soccer IQ. But that’s not what stood out most when you watched him play.
It was the shoulder-length dreadlocks that made him instantly recognizable whether he was playing for the Galaxy or the national team.
So those became the most important — and more difficult — things to replicate in the nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture of Jones that the Galaxy will unveil Sunday before the team’s MLS matinee with Real Salt Lake.
1945 — The Toronto Maple Leafs edge the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup in seven games.
1947 — The Philadelphia Warriors, behind Joe Fulks’ 34 points, beat the Chicago Staggs 83-80 in Game 5 to win the first Basketball Assn. of America title.
1954 — NBA adopts 24-second shot clock and six team-foul rule.
1962 — The Toronto Maple Leafs capture the Stanley Cup in six games with a 2-1 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks.
1969 — Joe Frazier knocked out Dave Zyglewicz in 96 seconds to retain the heavyweight boxing title. Zyglewicz, 28-1 against journeymen, was fighting as the hometown hero at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston.
1987 — The NBA grants expansion franchises to Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando. Charlotte and Miami join the league in the 1988-89 season, while Minnesota and Orlando join in 1989-90.
1988 — New Jersey’s Patrik Sundstrom sets an NHL playoff record scoring eight points — three goals and five assists — in a 10-4 rout of Washington in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals.
1990 — NFL Draft: University of Illinois quarterback Jeff George first pick by Indianapolis Colts.
1993 — The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils extends their NHL playoff record to 14 straight wins.
1994 — Shannon Miller wins the women’s all-around title for the second straight year at the World Gymnastics Championships in Brisbane, Australia.
1994 — American figure skater Tonya Harding sues ex-husband Jeff Gillooly for $42,500.
1994 — Michael Moorer outpoints Evander Holyfield to win the IBF and WBA titles and become the first left-handed heavyweight champion.
1995 — George Foreman beats Axel Schulz in 12 for heavyweight boxing title in Las Vegas.
1995 — NFL Draft: Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter first pick by Cincinnati Bengals.
2003 — Minnesota and Vancouver become the first teams since 2000 to come back from 3-1 series deficits and win. The Wild take Game 7 in Colorado on Andrew Brunette’s overtime goal for a 3-2 win. The Canucks oust St. Louis with a 4-1 win.
2003 — Patrick Roy plays his final career NHL game.
2006 — New Jersey scores a playoff-record five power-play goals in its 6-1 win over New York.
2006 — In Berlin, Germany, Wladimir Klitschko stops Chris Byrd in the seventh round of a one-sided fight to gain the IBF heavyweight title.
2010 — NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford first pick by St. Louis Rams.
2013 — Manchester United defeat Aston Villa to claim the 2012/2013 English Premier League.
Compiled by the Associated Press
1876 — In the first National League game, Joseph Borden of Boston beat the hometown Philadelphia team 6-5.
1898 — Theodore Breitenstein of the Cincinnati Reds and James Hughes of Baltimore each pitched no-hit ball games. Breitenstein no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0 and Hughes no-hit the Boston Braves 8-0.
1903 — The New York Highlanders lost their first game at Washington 3-1 before 11,950 fans.
1914 — At age 19, Babe Ruth plays his first pro game as a pitcher, as he throws a six-hit, 6 – 0 shutout for the Baltimore Orioles over the Buffalo Bisons.
1934 — Chicago’s Lon Warneke pitched his second consecutive one-hitter, beating St. Louis and Dizzy Dean 15-2.
1957 — John Kennedy becomes the first Black player on the Philadelphia Phillies, making them the last National League team to integrate.
1959 — The Chicago White Sox scored 11 runs with only one hit in the seventh inning of a 20-6 rout of the Kansas City A’s. Johnny Callison had the hit — a single. In the inning, Chicago was the recipient of 10 walks — five with the bases loaded — three Kansas City errors and one hit batsman.
1962 — The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Mets 4-3 in a game in which two NL records were tied. Bill Mazeroski tripled in a run in the eighth to give the Pirates a 10-0 record, which matched the record for most consecutive wins since the start of the season set by the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. The Mets lost their ninth straight to match the mark set by Brooklyn in 1918 and tied by the Boston Braves in 1920.
1970 — Tom Seaver of the Mets struck out the last 10 Padres he faced for a 2-1 victory over San Diego. He gave up two hits and finished with a total of 19 strikeouts, tying Steve Carlton’s major league record.
1976 — Montreal’s Tim Foli hit for the cycle in a 12-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
1978 — Andre Thornton of the Cleveland Indians hit for the cycle in a 13-4 win against the Boston Red Sox.
1980 — Ivan DeJesus of the Chicago Cubs hit for the cycle in 16-12 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
1981 — Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela pitches his third shutout in four starts, strikes out 11, and has the game’s only RBI with a single in a 1-0 win against the Houston Astros.
1982 — The Atlanta Braves’ major league record for the fastest start was stopped at 13 straight victories when they lost 2-1 to the Cincinnati Reds.
1991 — San Francisco’s Robby Thompson hit for the cycle in a 7-5 loss to the San Diego Padres.
1993 — Chris Bosio pitched a no-hitter to give the Seattle Mariners a 7-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.
2007 — The Boston Red Sox hit four straight home runs against the New York Yankees, tying a major league record. Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek connected in a span of 10 pitches during the third inning against Chase Wright, who was making his second major league start for New York. Boston won 7-6.
2008 — Atlanta’s John Smoltz became the 16th pitcher in major league history to reach the 3,000-strikeout plateau in the Braves’ 6-0 loss to the Washington Nationals.
2014 — Albert Pujols became the first major leaguer to hit his 499th and 500th homers in the same game, driving in five runs to help the Angels beat the Washington Nationals 7-2.
2020 — The Commissioner issues his findings in his investigation into allegations of sign-stealing by the 2018 Boston Red Sox, in the wake of a similar investigation into the illicit doings of the 2017 Houston Astros. While the investigation reveals that the Red Sox’s scheme was more limited in scope than the Astros’, it was still illegal, and the person responsible for the team’s video room is issued a one-year suspension, while the team must forfeit its second-round selection in the 2020 amateur draft.
Compiled by the Associated Press
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Do the Lakers have a new Big Three?
LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard are putting in their bid to make it so.
They did the heavy lifting for the Lakers, combining for 76 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists to carry the Lakers to a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
James had another near triple-double with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to help the Lakers take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. He capped his night with a two-handed dunk with 55.3 seconds left to make sure the Lakers didn’t blow a 15-point lead they built in the first half.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart, sprawled on the court, steals the ball from Rockets forward Kevin Durant during the first quarter of Game 2.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Smart had 25 points, seven assists and two rebounds while his defense was outstanding once again. Smart, who was eight-for-13 from the field, drilled a big-time three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers an eight-point lead.
Kennard had 23 points, six rebounds and two assists. His two free throws with 14.3 seconds left capped the scoring.
And once again, the Lakers showed their clutch genes, this time doing so with Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain), sitting on the bench injured.
The Lakers had the best clutch record in the NBA during the regular season, going 22-8 in games when the score was within five points in the final five minutes. The Rockets on the other hand, went 22-23 during clutch moments, ranking 16th in the league.
“We all got to pick up our play,” James said. “When you’ve got two big guns out like we have, we all got to pick up our play. And that’s all it’s about. We’re all just trying to contribute, make contributions in all facets of the game, pick up our play. Obviously, we’re missing Luka and missing AR, so we’re just trying to seize the opportunity. That’s all.”
Kevin Durant returned to play after missing Game 1 because of a right knee contusion, and he was sharp early on, scoring 20 points in the first half. But Durant had just three points in the second half and he had nine turnovers for the game.
With the Rockets hosting Game 3 on Friday night, James said he found no comfort in how the Lakers defended Durant.
“None. That just makes him even madder going into Game 3. No satisfaction,” James, who played 39 minutes and 12 seconds, said. “You know, we did our job. We did that. But the guy’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer and he’s going to make way more great plays than not. So, we don’t have no satisfaction. That game is over and done with, but it’s still a tall challenge.”
Lakers guard Luke Kennard takes the ball from Rockets forward Kevin Durant during Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at Crypto.Com Arena on Tuesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The starting backcourt of Smart and Kennard, starting in place of Doncic and Reaves, had the kind of first-quarter scoring display Doncic is known for delivering.
Smart had 14 points in the first 12 minutes, shooting five for seven from the field and three for four from three-point range. Kennard had 10 points in the first, shooting four for six from the field and two for three from three-point range.
“Whether those guys are here or not, obviously we would love for them to be here,” said Smart, who played 35:29. “They elevate us to a whole other level, right? And we understand that. But they’re not and there’s nothing we can do about it but step our game up for those guys.”
During the regular season, Doncic, Reaves and James were the Big Three for the Lakers.
But James has two new mates to help the cause, and Smart and Kennard are holding it down.
It started in Game 1, when James, Smart and Kennard combined for 61 of the Lakers’ 107 points, 14 rebounds and 24 assists.
Houston forward Kevin Durant passes the ball under pressure from Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and center Jaxson Hayes Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“We know throughout the game we’re going to have the ball in our hands the most, us three,” said Kennard, who played 41:58. “Again, it’s just playing within the flow of the game when we can. Seeing what adjustments they made earlier in the game and just trying to find ways to beat it. I thought we did a good job of staying poised and under control overall. … But, like I said, us three, we know we’re going to have the ball the majority of the time when it comes down to it and we have to be aggressive and look for the right play each time.”
When asked about a report saying Reaves has progressed to one-on-one court work and what Doncic is able to do, Lakers coach JJ Redick said, “Yeah, no update on the timeline for either of those guys.”
“Austin has started a return-to-play [plan,] but we don’t have any timeline update for him,” Redick added. “And then Luka I think is gonna start some court work here soon. But again, no update on timeline.”
Redick was asked if Reaves returning to play meant he is starting some support work.
“Yeah. But he, again, it’s an upper-body injury versus a lower-body injury, so it’s different things,” Redick said.
Redick was asked one last time what return-to-play progression looks like for Reaves.
“That’s above my pay grade,” Redick said.
Luke-ah?
With star guard Luka Doncic back on the Lakers sideline but still out indefinitely, Luke Kennard did his best impression of the NBA’s leading scorer Saturday, catapulting the Lakers to a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series.
Kennard drained all five of his three-point attempts, including three in the fourth quarter. Threes while curling off screens or taking hand-offs from teammates are routine for the NBA’s leading three-point shooter. But Kennard may have surprised even himself when he drove against Houston’s Jabari Smith, U-turned, scampered back outside the three-point line and drained a three from the wing.
The Crypto.com Arena crowd that was buzzing from the opening tip to the final horn erupted. Kennard screamed.
“My word is speechless, to be honest,” center Deandre Ayton said of Kennard’s performance. “Seeing him five-for-five in a playoff game as a Laker. Yeah, it hits different.”
The Lakers sent Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick to Atlanta for Kennard in February. The midseason trade felt relatively marginal compared to league-wide blockbusters that shuffled James Harden, Darius Garland and Anthony Davis.
Kennard has now authored several headlining performances in the purple and gold. He drained a game-winning three-pointer against Orlando. He notched the first triple-double of his career.
Saturday’s season high eclipsed them all.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton, left, celebrates with guard Luke Kennard after hit a three-pointer against the Rockets during Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
“To do it especially at a place like this, playing for the Lakers on the biggest stage in basketball, it means a lot to me,” Kennard said, “and what I’ve done and just credit to the work I’ve put in and how I prepared leading up to this.”
Since Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) were injured on April 2, Kennard has had to adjust his role to include more ball handling. He typified the Lakers’ adaptability with 32 assists in the last five games of the regular season after averaging 1.7 assists per game since joining the team. But he lamented that he wasn’t shooting to his standard.
Compared to his league-best 47.8%, his 30.8% shooting from three during the past five games felt like a slump.
Each shot, whether a make or miss, still helped Kennard develop a rhythm entering the playoffs, he said. Now if he sees even a sliver of daylight, he’ll be ready to shoot. It’s exactly what the Lakers want to see.
“I just liked that he was aggressive shooting threes,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I mean, he played a fantastic basketball game.”
Kennard, who also had three assists and four rebounds, was nine for 13 from the field as the Lakers, who shot 60.6% as a team, shot 60% or better in a playoff game for the first time since the first round of the 2009 playoffs. Led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, the Lakers won their first of back-to-back titles that year.
All five of the Lakers starters scored in double figures. LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds while helping keep two-time All-Star Alperen Sengun to 19 points on inefficient six-for-19 shooting. The Rockets, who were without Kevin Durant because of a minor knee injury, shot 37.6% from the floor.
“Everybody played a big role tonight and I feel that just speaks to what we’ve been the last few weeks with guys out,” Kennard said. “It’s going to take everybody. We know that. We got to continue to elevate each other and push each other and continue to be a team.”
Doncic reunited with the team Saturday after he spent the past two weeks in Europe getting specialized treatment on his Grade 2 left hamstring strain. Dressed in a crisp white button up shirt and khaki pants, Doncic sat next to Reaves on the bench. They rose to their feet every time Kennard set up for a three. They handed out high fives at every time out.
The injuries to Doncic and Reaves turned the Lakers into the perceived sitting duck of the competitive Western Conference playoffs. Critics felt the team couldn’t survive one playoff round with the 41-year-old James as its sole offensive catalyst.
A welcoming cheer from Lakers fans during starting lineups serves as a reminder that James still has backup.
“Luuuuuke!”
Above all else, the Lakers were committed to being resilient in Game 1 of the playoffs.
Even if they were missing their starting backcourt, the Lakers were committed to being resilient against the rugged and physical Houston Rockets, who were playing without Kevin Durant after the star suffered a bruised knee in practice.
And as a group the Lakers were resilient, following the lead of LeBron James and a career-best outing from Luke Kennard to pull out a gritty 107-98 win over the Rockets Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
James was magnificent, collecting a near triple-double with 19 points on nine-for-15 shooting, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Kennard was outstanding in his new role as facilitator and a main hub of the offense, scoring a playoff career-high 27 points. His three three-pointers in the fourth quarter gave the Lakers the separation they needed to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. He was nine-for-13 shooting from the field and five for five from three-point range.
But James tied Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton by appearing in his 19th postseason, and Kennard had plenty of help from the rest of their starting mates.
Deande Ayton had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Marcus Smart had 15 points and eight assists and Rui Hachimura scored 14.
Game 2 is Tuesday night here.
James had eight assists in the first quarter, his career-high for assists in any quarter of a playoff game.
The Lakers followed his lead.
They started the game with a purpose, making their first four shots, missing the next and then making their next four in a row to finish the first quarter shooting 15 of 19 from the field— 78.9%.
Kennard was the best in the group, shooting five for six in the first quarter and scoring 11 points to help the Lakers open a 33-29 lead by the end of the first 12 minutes.
Injured Rockets star Kevin Durant, third from left on bench, watches Lakers star LeBron James inbound the basketball during Game 1.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
But the game slowed down in the second quarter when the Lakers scored just 17 points while the Rockets could muster 19.
Forty minutes before the Lakers tipped off against the Rockets, Luka Doncic was seen walking down the hallway with his bodyguard toward L.A.’s locker room. Doncic was not playing because of a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, joining teammate Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique muscle train) on the bench dressed in street clothes.
The Rockets announced that Durant was out for the first game because of a right knee contusion that occurred during practice Wednesday. Durant, the Rockets’ leading scorer (26.0 points per game), worked about before the game but was unable to play because of “soreness and tenderness.” The Rockets hope he’ll be available for Game 2.
“Bumped a knee in practice one of our days, on Wednesday,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Hopefully it’s a one-game thing, but [he] tried it out just shortly ago and didn’t feel good enough.”
For the Lakers, there was an element of shock they had to deal with when Doncic and Reaves were injured at Oklahoma City on April 2.
They eventually got past that, winning their last three games to end the regular season.
“Ten days ago, when our guys get hurt, I think it’s easy to look at adversity and the ups and downs of an NBA season as like some form of the basketball gods punishing you,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “The reality is it’s opportunities to build resilience. … Smart said it after our last regular-season game: ‘We’re right where we’re supposed to be.’ I think the whole season for the staff, our players, our team, our group, it’s been about building resiliency, and that’s what you need in the playoffs.”
Despite missing leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the LA Lakers and LeBron James defeat Houston in opener.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalised 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.
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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 percent of its shots while holding the Rockets to 37.6 percent shooting with pesky defence.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points, and Jabari Smith Jr had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who finished one game behind Los Angeles in the regular season. Amen Thompson added 17 points, but Houston’s young core got off to an inconsistent start after becoming the firm favourite in this series due to the Lakers’ injury woes.
Game 2 is on 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 in the absence of Los Angeles’s starting backcourt. He hit four 3-pointers in Game 1, while making nine of his first 12 shots.
Durant must wait at least one more game to make his Rockets playoff debut after banging knees with a teammate in practice on Wednesday. Reed Sheppard took his spot in the starting lineup and hit five 3-pointers while scoring 17 points, but the Rockets struggled for consistent half-court offence in Durant’s absence despite grabbing 21 offensive rebounds.
The Lakers took the lead for good on their first bucket of the second half, and they pushed their advantage to 16 points in the fourth quarter. Kennard scored 16 points after halftime, while the 41-year-old James began his 19th NBA postseason with an inspired, eight-assist first quarter, followed by several gritty baskets down the stretch.
Los Angeles also got a boost from veteran guard Marcus Smart, who had 15 points and eight assists with four 3-pointers in his Lakers playoff debut. 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.