Toronto Raptors (46-36, fifth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference)
Cleveland; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Cavaliers -8.5; over/under is 223.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Cavaliers lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Cavaliers won the last matchup 126-113 on Saturday, led by 32 points from Donovan Mitchell. RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 24.
The Cavaliers are 33-19 in conference matchups. Cleveland is second in the Eastern Conference scoring 119.5 points while shooting 48.2% from the field.
The Raptors are 33-19 against Eastern Conference opponents. Toronto is third in the league with 29.5 assists per game led by Scottie Barnes averaging 5.9.
The 119.5 points per game the Cavaliers score are 7.7 more points than the Raptors allow (111.8). The Raptors average 114.6 points per game, 0.8 fewer than the 115.4 the Cavaliers give up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell is averaging 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Cavaliers. James Harden is averaging 15.7 points and 6.2 assists over the past 10 games.
Brandon Ingram is averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Raptors. Barrett is averaging 19.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 48.6% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 8-2, averaging 124.1 points, 44.3 rebounds, 28.9 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 51.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.3 points per game.
Raptors: 5-5, averaging 119.2 points, 39.1 rebounds, 31.6 assists, 9.5 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 52.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.6 points.
INJURIES: Cavaliers: Thomas Bryant: day to day (calf).
Raptors: Immanuel Quickley: day to day (hamstring).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: Head coach JJ Redick congratulates Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a three point shot during the second half of Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Across the regular season, the crowd at Lakers games does not rank among the best in the league.
The lion’s share of the blame falls on ownership for pricing out the common, diehard fans and replacing them with fans who too often view the game as a status symbol rather than a chance to root on a team they’re a fan of. LA is still capable of drawing crowds that generate fervor, especially in the playoffs.
Saturday was a prime example. With the team squarely viewed as an underdog, the fans got behind the underdog Lakers and created a great environment. I would still say they need to put on the damn shirts given out to make the atmosphere even better, but I’ll settle for them creating a real homecourt advantage on Saturday.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
From the opening tip, LeBron was locked in. His eight assists in the first quarter and 10 assists in the first half both were career highs. He wasn’t the highest scorer, but he absolutely controlled this game from start to finish for the Lakers.
This was a bit of an adventurous one for Rui. He had a couple rough moments, including late in the first half. But he also had some very timely buckets, including a three in the third quarter and a contested pull-up midrange jumper early in the fourth quarter.
His 42 minutes probably aren’t a big surprise. Considering how much size the Rockets have and the role LeBron is playing, he’s going to need to play big minutes.
What a fantastic game for Ayton and, hopefully, a real tone-setter for him this series. The Lakers need him to win this series and they got a great game from him on their biggest stage yet.
They need him to do it many more times to win and stringing together strong performances hasn’t always been easy for him, but it really feels like he’s a good space right now.
Boy, what an experience Marcus Smart can be. He certainly had his fingerprints all over this game, both negatively and positively. He led the team in free throw attempts and got to the rim repeatedly. He also had some incredibly bad turnovers.
Multiple times, he rushed the ball upcourt either on a fastbreak where he didn’t have numbers or in early transition. He turned the ball over in both situations.
But he also is one of the most reliable ball handlers the team has right now. They ran plenty of two-man game with him and LeBron and Houston is going to play off of him and force him to make them pay from deep. He did not on Saturday. If he can have a game where he knocks down multiple 3-pointers, it could pay huge dividends in a later game this series.
Coming into the series, the Lakers knew they needed Kennard. The Rockets knew the Lakers needed Kennard. And yet, no one could stop him. It’s hard to overstate just how impressive he was against some top-tier defenders. To have a career night in the context of being a top option offensively after years of being a role player is incredible.
Much as the Lakers need Rui to play big minutes, they’re going to need LaRavia if for no other reason than to be a ballhandler at times. At times, he had Reed Sheppard on him and was able to initiate the team’s offense.
It isn’t always pretty and there were moments he turned the ball over, but the Lakers are down to about their fifth and sixth options for ballhandlers at times in this series, so it’s not going to be pretty.
Vanderbilt could have a decent-sized role in this series because of his defense, but his minutes are going to rely on him being able to do enough offensively to stay on the floor. He hit a corner three in the first quarter that was the exact type of shot the Rockets are going to give him.
When he isn’t spotting up in the corner, he’s a bit lost and was getting in the way. The Lakers either need to find more creative ways to use him or he’s going to need to knock down threes.
Well, this was bad. That first shift from Hayes was straight out of the 2025 playoffs against the Wolves. He was biting on pump fakes from Şengün at the 3-point line and playing really undisciplined. They got away with it because Ayton was great, but he has to be better.
Grade: F
Bronny James
It wasn’t a terrible first shift from Bronny, but it wasn’t great.
JJ Redick
What a game from Redick, who pushed all the right buttons and got lots of little things right.
He had a couple of quick timeouts that stopped the Rockets’ momentum before it started, one coming in the first quarter and one in the fourth after a Tari Eason three. He also got LeBron in the game for the final offensive possession of the first quarter to try to steal a bucket.
Big picture, though, the Lakers were moving all around the court and creating quality, sustainable offense against a great defense.
tip of the cap to the Lakers for their movement and flow. lot of off ball screens, pindowns, LeBron at the Elbow and just working to play out of it. Real balanced and intentional effort offensively.
Mike Brown won 53 games in his first year as Knicks coach. His Knicks finished No. 4 on offense, No. 7 on defense and No. 5 in net rating. Strong numbers, solid results.
But Brown knows his regular season accomplishments don’t mean much.
We all know that these Knicks – and their head coach – will be judged on what happens over the next few weeks.
Under Brown and associate head coach Chris Jent, the Knick offense looked strong early on. Yes, part of it was Jalen Brunson’s brilliance (19 first-quarter points, 8-for-11 shooting). But the Karl-Anthony Towns-Brunson actions also resulted in some great looks. The Knicks shot 60 percent in the first quarter and 49 percent in the half.
But they were having issues on the other end of the floor. Atlanta’s guard-guard screens produced some open threes (Hawks were 5-for-8 on threes in the second quarter). They allowed Atlanta to get out in transition.
The Knicks dominated stretches of the first half but went to the locker room with just a two-point lead.
Brown and his staff seemed to push nearly all the right buttons coming out of halftime.
The Knicks outscored Atlanta in transition, 11-0, in the third quarter.
After facilitating in the first half, Towns started to put the ball in the basket after halftime. He had 14 points in the first 18 minutes of the half, helping the Knicks push their lead to 16 with six minutes to go.
The Knicks also cleaned up their defense on the Hawks perimeter screening. Atlanta missed seven of its nine three-point attempts in the decisive third quarter.
Another good call by Brown? His counterpart, Quin Snyder, started to intentionally foul Mitchell Robinson in the third quarter. They fouled Robinson four times in a 1:03 stretch of the third quarter. Robinson missed three of four free throws; New York’s lead was down to six with 4:51 left in the third.
Brown took Robinson out at that point. But he didn’t keep him on the bench. Brown had Robinson back on the floor to start the fourth quarter. Atlanta wasn’t going to intentionally foul Robinson early in the fourth and get the Knicks in the bonus. With Robinson on the floor, the Knicks extended their lead to 12 with 9:34 to play.
/ Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Brown also went to Jordan Clarkson to start the fourth. Clarkson delivered; his reverse layup with six minutes to play put the Knicks up 16.
Clarkson, you’ll remember, was out of the Knick rotation for several weeks in the middle of the season. Instead of burying him, Brown went back to Clarkson shortly after the All Star break. He gave the Knicks an immediate lift and has remained in Brown’s rotation ever since.
Brown is Clarkson’s sixth coach in 12 NBA seasons. So Clarkson knows good coaching when he sees it. He knows bad coaching when he sees it. What does he think of Brown?
“Intense, smart, challenges us as players. Makes some really good adjustments,” Clarkson said. “His communication throughout the year has been really good with us. From meetings, talking to us, finding out what we see, doing different things (based on player feedback). He’s done an amazing job.”
Brown passed his first Knick playoff test on Saturday. His next exam is Monday night at 8 pm.
TOWNS/BRUNSON PAIRING
The Brunson/Towns actions on offense continue to produce good results.
“The longer we’re obviously on the court together, our chemistry is better. I think we’ve grown as teammates, we’ve grown as friends, and it’s contributing to the way we’re playing,” Brunson said.
SECOND HALF PHYSICALITY
Both Josh Hart and Miles McBride said the Knicks played with a high level of physicality throughout the game. That picked up in the second half; Atlanta missed 15 of its first 23 shots to open the third quarter.
"I feel like they were getting out and they were winning a space battle (in the first half), getting open, getting to their spots and I feel like in the second half, we really cut that off,” McBride said. “We made catches difficult, and we got to loose balls.”
ANUNOBY'S IMPORTANCE
OG Anunoby left the game briefly in the second half due to an ankle injury. With Anunoby on the bench, Clarkson went to work. Just as he did late in the regular season, Clarkson performed some spiritual healing on Anunoby. Robinson and Jose Alvaradojoined as well.
“We need OG out here, so we’re gonna make it happen,” Clarkson joked after the game. “He came over to the bench and asked me if I could do (the spiritual healing) for his ankle; then he sat over there for a second, came back in the game and finished the game.
“Like I said, we need him on the floor so whatever I gotta do to keep it going… sprinkle a little magic on him.”
Apr 18, 2026; Talk, but no answers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The score of this one might suggest that the Rockets weren’t in fact spanked, by the Lakers. They were. This was a wire to wire win for LA, and at no point did it seem like the Rockets were going to push past LA, take a lead, and keep it. The Lakers held the Rockets to 16pts below their season average for points allowed for this 9 point win. It could have been more. The final four minutes saw something of a Rockets garbage time scoring flurry, and they narrowed the Laker lead, slightly. The Lakers for their part seemed mostly interested in turning the scoreboard over enough that the Rockets never got close enough for discomfort.
The Rockets were, of course, missing Kevin Durant, the expensive painting that mostly covers the hole that is the Rockets offense. The Lakers, of course, were missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and had a 41 year old LeBron James leading the charge of… Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton. That turned out to be plenty for Los Angeles.
There are two ways of looking at this. One is, the Rockets probably won’t shoot this badly, again. LeBron won’t be playing with a week off, again. Kevin Durant is far more likely to play again soon than Doncic or Reaves. So, it’ll be fine. After all, the Rockets shot 93 times to the Lakers 66 and lost by 9. That really shouldn’t happen. A team has to miss a lot of shots for it to happen, and the Rockets certainly did. There’s really not a good offensive line anywhere, except for Tari Eason. Tari didn’t miss at all, and the rest of the team missed a ton. Unfortunately Tari only took 7 shots.
So one view is that the Rockets probably won’t shoot that badly again, and that Kevin Durant might well be back for the next game, and that will help, too.
If that’s where you come down on things, it’s fairly safe to stop reading now.
This is another view. The Rockets had a week to prepare to play a Lakers team without their two best players. The Lakers had the same. One team came out with a fairly clear plan to win this game, despite injury woes. The other came out looking almost exactly the same as the rest of the season.
The Lakers, evidently, made a plan to win this game despite obvious talent limitations. The Rockets seemed flummoxed by everything LA did, while LA seemed to know exactly what the Rockets would do, all the time.
Sometimes it is worthwhile to put yourself in the shoes of your opponent. To think about what you might do in their situation.
If your team is playing the Rockets, you know certain things about them on offense.
They do not run any sort of coherent offense, with plays and actions that reliably work for them, or even ones that don’t. There’s usually a dribble hand off, a perhaps a badly set pick, and then a player trying to find a shot. This sometimes leads to passes out to shooters, but more often leads to difficult, or at least congested, attempts fairly close to the basket. This was confirmed, once again, by outside observers. This time it was Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith saying the Rockets don’t run an offense, they just sort of attack one on one from the same spots. At this point, pretty much every national media former NBA player who has covered a Rockets game has said as much. It certainly matches what I’ve seen, and I think it’s true as well.
Three of the Rockets offensive mainstays require access to the paint to be most effective. These players are: KD, Sengun, Amen.
KD can shoot it from deep, well, but he mostly doesn’t in any volume. Sheppard is a threat from deep who must be covered, the rest of the Rockets can be guarded on 3pt shots largely by run outs on defense from the paint, or near it. Or by the two players who aren’t in the paint (see below) covering half the arc each. The Rockets rarely move, or overload, a side, so that’s straightforward.
So knowing that, what would you do? Pretty much what every intelligent, non tanking, opponent has done, right?
Try to gum up the initial dribble handoff and desultory pick attempt, and have the two defenders up at that action point try to soft trap the ballhandler to prevent a pass out. Such a pass is easy to defend, as the Rockets are largely stationary off ball. After that, play way back on the dribbler/initiator, if it’s anyone but Sheppard, or Durant. We won’t address defending Durant, as he didn’t play.
Will the Rockets patiently work pick and rolls to call up a weak defender, or matchup they want on offense? They will not. Or almost never do. They will attack whomever is guarding them. Would they, say, try to get Luke Kennard, not the swiftest of foot, on Amen Thompson? Nope. They wouldn’t.
So not having a weak defender called up on the pick, which is rarely good enough to peel a defender off the ball handler, or even allowing a switch to a stronger defender, say swapping Kennard for Smart or James, the Rocket will then try to attack the rim, or at least get closer to it.
Two more defenders, ostensibly guarding the corners or wings, collapse into the paint as Sengun, Thompson, or really any other Rocket, gets closer to the basket. These defenders stand on either side of basket, which cuts off both Thompson getting to the rim, and denies Sengun his superior mobility close in, to get easy shots. There’s literally nowhere for either player to go, a defender is standing there. They are forced to take a shot over the center, or another big, or pass out. As this usually happens at the end of the shot clock, because it takes so long to move close to the basket, there’s only one run out on a shooter called for in most cases. There isn’t time for more passes around the perimeter most of the time, and there isn’t anyone cutting, or screening for a shooter anyway.
The Lakers simply did a variant of the standard defense on the Rockets. The Rockets response to this was: nothing.
So the Rockets offense was stymied, and while it dominated the offensive glass, those extra shots often seemed to be just as bad as the initial shot. That’s not everything, the Rockets also missed close in shots, put backs, you name it. They probably won’t miss as many of those. But this is the playoffs, so the defensive intensity isn’t going to slacken. The Rockets have shown little to no ability to adjust on offense. So it could be the bad shooting continues, as well. Still, plugging in Kevin Durant, and his career 29pt playoff scoring average, probably changes some results.
On defense, we saw the Lakers also use some fairly effective approaches. The first is to attack the rim, with almost whomever has the ball, very quickly, from a spread out offense. The Rockets, last season, would trap, send help, double, opponents very quickly, sometimes ahead of the actual play. Not all the time, but frequently enough to be very disruptive. They don’t do that as much this season. I think it’s due to not having Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet both calling defense, adjustments, and anticipating plays. Fred and Dillon were often available to help ahead of the play, or attack an offense, without much “reaction time” needed.
This season it appears the Rockets mostly send help later, after it’s clear that a defender has been beaten. It seems rare, for instance, that a help defender is already in place, ahead of a driver. That could be deliberate, as there’s risk involved there if the helper can’t recover to his man on a pass off. Or it could be the Rockets have no one with the experience to make that happen on defense. In general the Rockets play solid individual defense, but seem to be less aggressive, and less cohesive. Maybe they’re tried to reduce the risk profile from aggressive play, but there are downsides, mostly in losing transition offense, and far less frequent disruption of opponents. It now seems to be saved for desperation, as when the Rockets forced a number of turnovers late in the fourth.
Tonight the Lakers decided to feature a player who is an excellent shooter, in Luke Kennard, and of course, LeBron James. What I noticed was that the Lakers went to great lengths, of movement, passing or screening, to find Kennard space to shoot. Shoot he did, scoring 27 points on an astonishingly efficient 9-13, and 5-5 from three. The Lakers, as a team, shot 61%. That probably isn’t sustainable, but their shots were mostly easy, or open.
You might think the answer would be to double Kennard, but the problem was, James was usually nearby, and so the man doubling Kennard would have to come off James. Which, given his ability to pass, shoot, or drive, creates a problem. He’s not what he was, but he will find an open man. His 13 assists to 2 turnovers are evidence of this.
Overall, the Rockets were simply stymied on offense, and gave up too many easy looks on defense.
The best sign going forward is that a great shooting night still only produced 107 points for the Lakers. Kevin Durant should, individually, if healthy, paper over the inadequacies on offense, enough so that similar defense should produce wins.
The worst sign is that the Rockets had a week to prepare for a specific opponent, one missing by far its two best scorers, and there was no evidence they did so. A short handed Lakers team beat them handily instead.
I still think they’ll win the series, if Durant plays.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 9: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on before the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 2 Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2024 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
According to Fred Katz, the Cleveland Cavaliers will discuss moving Donovan Mitchell if they aren’t able to get an extension done this summer.
It’s now or never for this version of the Cavaliers.
However Cleveland fares over these next two months will mold its future. Harden has a $42 million player option for next season that he’s likely to decline, a league source said. But a longer-term deal at a lesser number still would not be cheap. With today’s rules, with the way high payrolls chip away at resources and wallets, teams can’t stay so expensive while continuing to lose in the second round. Meanwhile, Mitchell, who can hit free agency in 2027, becomes eligible for an extension this summer.
If he signs it, the Cavs can move forward with him at their core. If he doesn’t, the organization will discuss the possibility of moving him, league sources said.
Now, where have I heard this before? It appears that a lot is riding on these playoffs for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have an upcoming extension eligibility with Donovan Mitchell, and we’ll see if that happens. The Cavaliers have one of the highest payrolls in the NBA and appear very similar to Utah when they had to make tough decisions with Mitchell in the past.
For the Utah Jazz, this is the beginning of something great. Utah owns a pick swap with the Cavaliers in 2028 and a fully unprotected pick in 2029. If Mitchell is traded this summer, it’s hard to see the Cavaliers being good immediately, especially if James Harden leaves as well. According to Katz, Harden is expected to decline his player option this summer, and we’ll see if the Cavs give him a contract or if he’s also potentially gone.
This is something to watch really closely, and I can’t lie, I am rooting hard for the Raptors this round and, if the Cavs advance, the Detroit Pistons after that. There’s a world where Utah could get really lucky with its picks in the years to come, thanks to Donovan Mitchell.
Hack-a-Mitch has become a playoff staple with Knicks opponents given Mitchell Robinson’s well-documented struggles at the free throw line. And it predictably emerged again in the Knicks’ 113-102 Game 1 win over the Hawks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Robinson had been impactful on the glass and as a rim protector in the first half. Then, trailing by seven with 5:44 left in the third quarter, the Hawks began fouling Robinson intentionally.
He was 1-for-4 on free throws before the Knicks took Robinson out of the game.
“We’ll see how the game goes, and we’ll leave him in until we think we need to make a sub,” coach Mike Brown said. “And whenever we feel like we need to make a sub, we will. But we’re gonna give him a chance.”
Mitchell Robinson hits a free throw during the third quarter of the Knicks’ 113-102 Game 1 win over the Hawks on April 18, 2026 at the Garden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostMike Brown reacts on the baseline during the first quarter of the Knicks’ Game 1 win over the Hawks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Though it took Robinson out of the game, it also meant the Knicks got into the bonus with 3:19 left in the third quarter, giving them plenty of opportunity to get easy points at the line.
And then Brown countered by having Robinson start the fourth quarter, preventing the Hawks from fouling him unless they wanted to play the whole quarter with the Knicks in the bonus.
“If they wanna start fouling, then that would get us closer to the bonus,” Brown said. “So it’s a time for us to go back to him.”
Karl-Anthony Towns’ father, Karl Sr., was in attendance for the first time since undergoing a medical procedure late in March.
“To have someone who I would say is the most important person in my life, it’s really awesome to be able to have him back and Madison Square Garden supporting me,” Towns said. “Any son out there that plays basketball or plays any sport, to see your father there, at your competition, you always have a sense of pride.“You wanna make him proud. It’s awesome that I get to see him on the baseline and be able to have some special moments with him.”
“To have someone who I would say is the most important person in my life, it’s really awesome to be able to have him back and Madison Square Garden supporting me,” Towns said. “Any son out there that plays basketball or plays any sport, to see your father there, at your competition, you always have a sense of pride.
“You wanna make him proud. It’s awesome that I get to see him on the baseline and be able to have some special moments with him.”
The Rockets’ Kevin Durant arrives for Game 1 of the NBA playoff series against the Lakers. NBAE via Getty Images
It meant a team without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) had a more even fight. It meant a team without its top two scorers had a chance. It meant a team that was dejected started believing in itself again.
The Lakers went on to win, 107-98.
The Rockets have no idea how to play without Durant. He played in 78 games this season. He missed only four contests.
His strength has now become the Rockets’ weakness.
Before tipoff, the Rockets’ locker room was silent.
Guys were looking at their phones. Or the carpet. It felt as though they were steeling themselves for a wake instead of a playoff game.
Durant suffered the injury at a team practice Wednesday after bumping knees with a teammate. He went through a pregame workout Saturday. The knee didn’t respond well.
“Hopefully it’s a one-game thing,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before the game.
Funny enough, the only superstar on the court Saturday was the only guy in NBA history to reach Season 23.
The Lakers’ LeBron James celebrates against the Rockets on Saturday night. NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron James had 10 assists in the first half, tying his career high for assists in any half of a playoff game. He finished with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Then there was Luke Kennard, who had a playoff career-high 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including going 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.
But really, the win was by committee. Every Lakers starter scored in double figures. They outshot the Rockets 60.6% to 37.6% from the field and 52.6% to 33.3% from beyond the arc.
“It has to be a collective group,” James said. “When you’re missing so much firepower, like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job. And even do a little bit more. Protect one another offensively and defensively and I think we did that tonight.”
The Lakers were really good. They played together. This might really be happening.
If they can get past the Rockets, they have a good shot at getting Doncic and Reaves back. If that happens, anything could happen. Heck, they were considered championship contenders after going on a 16-2 run before losing their two best players in the same game with five regular-season contests left.
They were crushed. Dejected. Lost.
Now, they’re believers again. But in the end, it all comes down to Durant’s knee. If he’s healthy, the scale will drastically tip again.
Udoka said Durant got imaging on his knee, adding the injury was “nothing major.”
“It’s very tender,” Udoka said. “Tough to bend in certain ways. Not a lot of swelling. But [someone] hit him in a very awkward spot, I guess. … Right above the knee, patellar tendon area, it’s just very tender. Like I said, pain tolerance is one thing. But actually limited movement is more of the cause.”
That doesn’t sound great.
Durant doesn’t miss games because he’s slightly banged up. He plays through bumps and bruises and discomfort. You don’t miss fewer than a handful of games in a season at age 37 otherwise.
If Durant doesn’t return soon, the Lakers could really pull this off.
It’s stunning. It’s shocking.
But for this team, those words have defined their season.
LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.
Both teams played the opener without their most important player. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out indefinitely with injuries since April 2, while Durant was a late scratch with a bruised right knee.
Los Angeles thrived by hitting 60.6% of its shots while holding the Rockets to 37.6% shooting with pesky defense. That disparity allowed the Lakers to win despite attempting just 66 shots — the fewest in an NBA game in the past three seasons — and giving up 21 offensive rebounds.
“That’s what it has to be — a collective group,” the 41-year-old James said after beginning his 19th NBA postseason. “When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to do our job and maybe have to do a little bit more, protect one another offensively and defensively, and I think we did that tonight.”
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets. Amen Thompson added 17 points.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
The Lakers acquired Kennard from Atlanta in early February, and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter became a key reserve before he seized a major role over the past two weeks. He hit four 3-pointers in Game 1 while making nine of his first 12 shots.
Durant banged knees with a teammate in practice Wednesday. Reed Sheppard five 3-pointers while scoring 17 points, but the Rockets struggled to score consistently.
“We won a lot of areas, but just shot poorly,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “That’s going to be tough to beat, but there are some things we left on the table, opportunities missed.”
Los Angeles also got a boost from Marcus Smart, who had 15 points and eight assists with four 3-pointers. Smart said before the series that success would come down to “willpower” — and the Lakers clearly had more for starters.
Bronny James began the second quarter playing alongside his famous father in the first significant playoff minutes of the 21-year-old’s career.
NEW YORK — Not only did Jalen Brunson take one below the belt, he also got criticized on top of it.
Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum’s leg kicked out during a jumpshot Saturday, April 18, striking Brunson in the groin, which eventually resulted in a technical foul, upon review. McCollum believes the review happened because Brunson embellished it after the fact.
“I shot a jumper and Jalen thought we were at a Broadway show,” McCollum told reporters after the Knicks’ 113-102 victory Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. “He acted it out until they reviewed it. It's a normal jump shot, nothing there. Unnecessary and I look forward to getting my ($2,000) back.”
Technical fouls in the NBA trigger small fines. McCollum’s comments indicate that he thinks the call will be rescinded, though, given that it was assessed upon a review, he may eventually be disappointed.
The play came early in the second half, 20 seconds into the third quarter. McCollum was trying to evade Brunson, when he hopped backwards to create space for a jumper. Because he lifted his pivot foot, he was called for a travel, but as McCollum shot the ball, he kicked out his lead leg.
Brunson leapt in the air to contest the shot, but McCollum’s foot struck Brunson in the groin, sending him to the court, where he lay for several moments, writhing in apparent pain.
CJ McCollum is hit with a technical foul for striking Jalen Brunson in the groin. Brunson takes a long moment to recover (with replays).
Brunson’s teammates appealed to officials, while Brunson took several moments to collect himself. Eventually, crew chief John Goble reviewed the play for a hostile act, and a technical foul was assessed to McCollum, leading to a free throw.
Because Brunson was still recovering from the play, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns took and made the technical free throw.
When asked after the game for his take on the play, Brunson downplayed it.
“It wasn’t purposeful so we move forward,” Brunson told reporters after the game.
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday, April 20, at Madison Square Garden.
LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.
Both teams played the opener without their most important player. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out indefinitely with injuries since April 2, while Durant was a late scratch with a bruised right knee.
Los Angeles thrived by hitting 60.6% of its shots while holding the Rockets to 37.6% shooting with pesky defense.
Luke Kennard (10) and center Deandre Ayton (5) celebrate during the second half of the Lakers’ 107-98 Game 1 win over the Rockets on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That disparity allowed the Lakers to win despite attempting just 66 shots — the fewest in an NBA game in the past three seasons — and giving up 21 offensive rebounds.
“That’s what it has to be — a collective group,” the 41-year-old James said after beginning his 19th NBA postseason. “When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to do our job and maybe have to do a little bit more, protect one another offensively and defensively, and I think we did that tonight.”
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets. Amen Thompson added 17 points.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
The Lakers acquired Kennard from Atlanta in early February, and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter became a key reserve before he seized a major role over the past two weeks. He hit four 3-pointers in Game 1 while making nine of his first 12 shots.
LeBron James, who had 19 points and 13 assists, drives past Josh Okogie during the first half of the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Rockets Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Durant banged knees with a teammate in practice Wednesday. Reed Sheppard five 3-pointers while scoring 17 points, but the Rockets struggled to score consistently.
“We won a lot of areas, but just shot poorly,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “That’s going to be tough to beat, but there are some things we left on the table, opportunities missed.”
Los Angeles also got a boost from Marcus Smart, who had 15 points and eight assists with four 3-pointers. Smart said before the series that success would come down to “willpower” — and the Lakers clearly had more for starters.
Bronny James began the second quarter playing alongside his famous father in the first significant playoff minutes of the 21-year-old’s career.
It was the key to this 113-102 victory, the Knicks ramping up their defensive intensity and shutting down Atlanta after halftime.
“We just didn’t stop on plays,” Miles McBride said. “I feel like they were getting out and they were winning the space battle, getting open and getting to their spots. I feel like in the second half we really cut that off. We made catches difficult, and we got to loose balls.”
Jalen Johnson shoots over Landry Shamet during the third quarter of the Knicks’ 113-102 Game 1 win over the Hawks on April 18, 2026 at the Garden. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The Hawks managed just 47 points over the final 24 minutes, and a good chunk of that came after the game had been well decided in the final minutes of the final stanza.
The Hawks were held to 19 points in the third quarter as the Knicks took command.
They were forced into difficult shots late in the shot clock, and Atlanta went cold from 3. After shooting 8-for-16 from distance in the first half, they went 6-for-21 the rest of the way.
“Their small-small pick-and-roll is a problem. And our guys did a pretty good job of defending that the right way in the second half,” coach Mike Brown said. “It kinda got away from us early in the game, and they got some open looks from it, but our level of physicality without fouling was really good in the second half, as well as our communication with their small-small pick-and-roll.”
The Knicks talked a lot after the win about needing to be the more physical team for the entirety of this series, and having to be better on the glass.
Karl-Anthony Towns defends against CJ McCollum during the third quarter of the Knicks’ Game 1 win over the Hawks. Jason Szenes / New York Post
They outrebounded the Hawks by five but were only plus-two in the paint (44-42).
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was held to 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting. Jalen Johnson scored 23 points but shot 8-for-19. The Knicks turned them into inefficient scorers.
The key is to consistently defend like they did in the second half and turn it into a habit.
“Every single night,” McBride, a team-best plus-12, said. “It’s nonnegotiable; we have to bring it every single night and be locked in.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after making a three point shot during the second half of Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The deck was stacked against the Lakers heading into the playoffs, but what awaited them was a tower of cards ready to topple over in the Rockets.
Kevin Durant being a surprise scratch pregame tilted the tower to the brink of falling and the purple and gold made it a mission to finish the job throughout Game 1. It wasn’t a perfect game and there’s room for improvement on both ends, but LA ultimately came out with a win that ended up being fairly comfortable in the second half.
It’s a great start to the series with tons of encouraging signs for the Lakers. Let’s dive into some of the biggest takeaways from the victory.
A team effort
Coming into the series, the expectation was that LeBron James would need to have a big scoring night for the Lakers to have a real chance. While Durant’s absence alleviated some of that scoring burden, LeBron was certainly not the biggest scoring threat for the Lakers.
That’s not to say he wasn’t fantastic on the night. He had eight assists in the first quarter to set the tone from the jump and still finished with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. However, all five starters had at least 14 points and each had moments.
No one was bigger offensively than Luke Kennard, who was perfect from three and scored a playoff career-high 27 points. Back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter from Kennard put the Lakers up 16 and allowed them a cushion as they closed out the game.
Deandre Ayton looked like his early-season self and poured in 19 points, including icing the game with an and-one in the final minutes. Rui Hachimura was an efficient 6-10 from the field and hit numerous timely shots. And Marcus Smart mixed in some good in his chaotic night, scoring 15 points with eight assists.
The Lakers shot an astounding 60.6% from the field and 52.6% from three. They nearly shot better from the field than from the free throw line, but that’s a topic for another time.
They jumped ahead early with a fast start in the first quarter. After turning the ball over on the first possession, they had 13 assists before they committed another turnover. While they came in bunches later, LA set the tone from the start as a team, getting sustainable, high quality shots.
Stingy defense
Offense is always going to get the headlines, but the Lakers’ defense was fantastic in this one. Similar to the offense, it was also a team effort.
The Lakers held Houston to 37.6% shooting overall. They hit just 11 of their 33 attempts from range. They committed 13 turnovers and never found any rhythm offensively. The Lakers did a great job clogging the paint and forcing Houston to hit shots from outside.
The Rockets shot 22-53 in the paint, a conversion rate LA will absolutely live with. After some threes early in the game, they locked down Reed Sheppard, who went 6-20 from the field and 5-14 from the three. Amen Thompson (7-18), Alperen Şengün (6-19) and Jabari Smith Jr. (5-14) all had poor nights from the field.
The Lakers have been good defensively for some time now, but they showed it on the biggest stage yet. It wasn’t perfect, but playoff games rarely are. But, importantly, it was more than enough to give them a chance to win.
After keeping things under control for much of the first half, offensive rebounding became an issue for LA in the second half. Houston finished with 21 offensive rebounds and 23 second-chance points. The Rockets stayed in the game in the second half because of their ability to create second and even third chances.
Similarly, turnovers were a problem for the Lakers. They finished with 18 giveaways that Houston turned into 24 points. While admittedly some crude math, nearly half of Houston’s scoring came from those two areas.
It was the nature of the turnovers that were confounding, too. On multiple occasions, the Lakers pushed in transition when they didn’t have numbers and turned the ball over. A number of turnovers were unforced, whether errant passes or passes to teammates who weren’t ready or looking.
The only time LA trailed after the opening minutes came after a disastrous close to the second quarter that included some very untimely turnovers. That the Lakers were able to overcome not just that stretch but generally not taking care of the two biggest areas of emphasis and still win handily should be encouraging about how this team has room to improve even after a win.
So much of the dialogue leading into Saturday was about how the Lakers would withstand being without Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) during their playoff series against the Rockets.
But within 24 hours, the dynamic shifted, with Rockets star Kevin Durant popping up on the injury report because of a right knee contusion he suffered during practice earlier in the week.
And the Lakers were the ones who took advantage of their opponent missing their leading scorer, beating the Rockets 107-98 in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round series on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“We were really poised as a team,” coach JJ Redick said. “We had a great next-play mentality. Wasn’t a perfect game. None of these games are gonna be perfect. Got contributions from a lot of people in a lot of different ways, and made enough winning plays, despite the turnovers and the offensive rebounds.”
So much of the dialogue leading into Saturday was about how the Lakers would withstand being without Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) during their playoff series against the Rockets. NBAE via Getty ImagesAnd the Lakers were the ones who took advantage of their opponent missing their leading scorer, beating the Rockets 107-98 in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round series on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. NBAE via Getty ImagesThey turned the ball over 20 times, helping the Rockets stay in the game with 24 points off those giveaways. NBAE via Getty Images
Offense didn’t come easily for the Lakers, either.
They turned the ball over 20 times, helping the Rockets stay in the game with 24 points off those giveaways.
But the Lakers’ intentionality with their offense led to 60.6% shooting from the field (40 of 66) and 52.6% shooting from beyond the 3-point arc (10 of 19).
“We did a good job,” Redick said. “The guys that were handling versus pressure, overall, did a nice job of getting us organized, and we ran a lot of the stuff we wanted to run, and we got a lot of good stuff. When we did shoot the ball, we were efficient. We missed some free throws. But again, it’s just this is going to be, can we take care of the ball. Over the course of seven games, can we take care of the ball and can we limit their offensive rebounds?”
Luke Kennard led the way with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, making all five of his 3s. LeBron James finished with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
All five Lakers starters scored at least 10 points.
“It has to be that way,” James said. “It has to be a collective group. When you’re missing so much firepower, like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job. And even do a little bit more. Protect one another offensively and defensively and I think we did that.”
LeBron James finished with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. NBAE via Getty Images
Deandre Ayton had a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Marcus Smart had 15 points and eight assists and Rui Hahcimura scored 14 points
The Lakers won despite the Rockets grabbing 21 offensive rebounds for 23 second-chance points, outscoring them in the paint (44-40) and scoring 17 more points off turnovers.
Alperen Sengun had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Amen Thompson finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
What it means
The Lakers are up 1-0 in a playoff series for the first time since playing the Warriors in the 2023 Western Conference semifinals (second round).
They haven’t been up 2-0 in a series since winning the 2020 NBA Finals against the Heat.
Deandre Ayton had a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Marcus Smart had 15 points and eight assists and Rui Hahcimura scored 14 points NBAE via Getty Images
Turning point
When Jake LaRavia drew an off-ball foul on Tari Eason at the five-minute mark of the third quarter.
The foul was the Rockets’ fifth for the quarter, putting the Lakers in the bonus for the remainder of the third.
The Lakers shot 10 of 12 from the line from that point.
This included Kennard splitting a pair of free throws after technical fouls on Rockets wing Jae’Sean Tate and coach Ime Udoka.
The Lakers shot 11 of 15 on free throws in the third, helping them win the quarter 25-18.
This included Kennard splitting a pair of free throws after technical fouls on Rockets wing Jae’Sean Tate and coach Ime Udoka. NBAE via Getty Images
MVP: Luke Kennard
James set the tone early with his playmaking, dishing out eight first-quarter assists and 10 assists in the first half, which tied a playoff career high for his most assists in a half.
But it was Kennard who provided the steady dose of scoring in a game that didn’t feature a lot of it for either team.
Kennard’s scoring total set a playoff career high, surpassing the previous career high of 21 points he scored on April 14, 2019, while with the Pistons.
“I just liked that he was aggressive shooting 3s,” Redick said. “He played a fantastic basketball gam. He just played really aggressive and did a nice job. I don’t know what our overall numbers were, but we came in at halftime and we had one of our highest paint touch rates in the entire season. And his ability to just kind of get to the next thing and turn the corner on off ball stuff and touch the paint for us, and it just, there’s a snowball effect to that. He played a really good game.”
That was the Rockets’ shooting percentage, highlighting how stifling the Lakers’ defense was. NBAE via Getty Images
Stat of the game: 37.6%
That was the Rockets’ shooting percentage, highlighting how stifling the Lakers’ defense was.
It was the lowest shooting percentage the Lakers allowed in a playoff game since April 28, 2023, against the Grizzlies, according to Stathead.
“I know they took free throws, but we did a good job of contesting those six- to eight- foot shots without fouling, using our length,” Redick said. “Getting a contest is super important.”
Up next
Game 2 of the Lakers-Rockets playoff series will tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
Durant’s status for Game 2 wasn’t known as of Saturday evening.
With OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, New York always had arguably the top duo of wing perimeter defenders in the NBA, but Saturday night showed the Knicks may have unlocked another element that can elevate this defense into a championship-caliber outfit. Forward Josh Hart, a high-energy utility player who can slide into numerous roles asked of him, has blossomed into an irritating defender who is now often tasked with guarding the opponent’s best player. In Game 1, that made him the primary defender on the Hawks' Jalen Johnson.
This started the last few weeks of the regular season, and it has freed Anunoby and Bridges to hound other players. It has also elevated the entire defense.
“Josh is very good at getting to the ball and trying to make the ball-handler uncomfortable,” coach Mike Brown said. “Having Josh, having Mikal, having OG, they allow us to be versatile defensively.”
That versatility gives New York something it can use in this series and beyond, particularly against teams whose players share ball-handling duties: it allows the Knicks to switch pick-and-rolls.
And since the primary function of a pick-and-roll is to create offensive mismatches, the ability to switch players — especially when they’re exceptional defenders — negates that.
This is a problem for Atlanta.
The Hawks, the hottest team in the Eastern Conference after the All-Star break, rely on a fluid, offensive system in which four players split ball-handling duties. Atlanta doesn’t rely on play calls as much as it does on general concepts and actions and asks its players to read the defense. The Hawks want their players to attack into open space.
Against the Knicks Saturday night, those four players — Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and Dyson Daniels — were pestered and harassed.
The Hawks shot a respectable 43.7% from the floor, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
To that point, nine of the 12 Hawks turnovers were committed by the four ball-handlers.
The other thing this swarming, versatile defense offers the Knicks is instant offense; New York emphasized throwing the ball ahead, pushing it into the open floor and getting high-percentage points in transition.
New York generated a +9 advantage in fastbreak points Saturday night.
“I think we just have a great group of guys that are locked in,” Knicks guard Miles McBride told reporters after the game. “I don’t think it’s anybody individually, it’s just our whole team being locked in on trying to make everything tough on them.
“Every single night. It’s non-negotiable. We have to bring it every single night.”
So, how exactly do the Hawks combat this? Game 2 will tip Monday, April 20 here in Madison Square Garden, and the primary objective will be to source easier offense.
For one, they’ll need to find a way to break through that defensive pressure, perhaps abandoning pick-and-rolls in favor of an offense that’s more fluid. Because when the Knicks went on runs in the second half, it was when the ball stagnated for Atlanta.
“Walking away from the game, turnovers, I had 5 turnovers, there’s things that we can do better from a spacing standpoint,” McCollum said. “Moving the ball a little more, being intentional with ball and player movement — I think all those things can factor in to more success for us. …
“I think it’s all about responding. And I look forward to responding on Monday.”
