LeBronLuke Kennard scored 27 factors, and LeBron James added 19 factors with 13 assists because the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers earned a 107-98 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday in Sport 1 of a Western Convention first-round playoff sequence.
Deandre Ayton scored 19 factors with 11 rebounds and Marcus Sensible added 15 factors with eight assists because the fourth-seeded Lakers received, with main scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (indirect) watching from the bench.
In simply his seventh begin since becoming a member of the Lakers from the Atlanta Hawks on the commerce deadline, Kennard went 9 of 13 from the ground and 5 of 5 from three-point vary whereas delivering a season excessive in factors to fill the scoring void at guard.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 factors whereas Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard every added 17 for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who have been taking part in with out main scorer Kevin Durant (knee).
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 factors with 12 rebounds and Tari Eason additionally had 16 factors for Houston, which has misplaced three consecutive street video games to Los Angeles for the reason that center of March.
Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
Nikola Jokic had 25 factors, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 factors and host Denver Nuggets beat Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 1-0 lead in its first-round Western Convention playoff sequence.
Murray was excellent from the road, hitting a career-high 16 free throws. Aaron Gordon completed with 17 factors, practically half of which got here through the Nuggets’ 14-0 third-quarter run which broke a impasse and put them answerable for the sport after a sluggish begin.
Anthony Edwards, who was questionable after lacking 11 of the Timberwolves’ ultimate 14 regular-season video games with proper knee points, led Minnesota with 22 factors. Rudy Gobert produced 17 factors and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who led by as many as 12 factors within the first quarter.
Knicks 113, Hawks 102
Karl-Anthony Cities and OG Anunoby hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to begin the decisive third-quarter run for host New York Knicks, which pulled away for a win over the Hawks in Sport 1 of an Japanese Convention quarterfinal sequence.
Jalen Brunson scored 19 of his game-high 28 factors within the first quarter for the third-seeded Knicks, who reached the Japanese Convention finals final 12 months for the primary time since 2000. Cities completed with 25 factors and was 10 of 10 from the free throw line, whereas Anunoby collected 18 factors.
CJ McCollum scored 26 factors for the Hawks, who earned the sixth seed of their first journey to the playoffs since 2023. Jalen Johnson had 23 factors whereas Onyeka Okongwu (19) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17) every scored in double figures.
Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 factors, and James Harden added 22 factors and 10 assists, powering the Cavaliers to a victory over visiting Raptors in Sport 1 of their Japanese Convention first-round sequence.
Max Strus had 24 factors off the bench, and Evan Mobley scored 17 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who’ve received 11 straight playoff video games over the Raptors. Sport 2 is Monday in Cleveland, the place the Raptors are 0-8 all-time within the postseason.
RJ Barrett scored 24 factors, and Scottie Barnes contributed 21 factors and 7 assists for the fifth-seeded Raptors. Brandon Ingram added 17 factors, and Jamal Shead had 17 factors in his playoff debut, beginning for injured guard Immanuel Quickley (proper hamstring pressure).
Printed on Apr 19, 2026