The Lakers get off to a winning start as the NBA playoffs begin
The Los Angeles Lakers have shaken off injury concerns and made a successful start to the NBA playoffs.
The 18-time champions were without key players Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Maxi Kleber, but 41-year-old LeBron James produced another strong performance in a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks were the other winners on the first day of the play-offs, while the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic won the play-in tournament to book their places.
James controlled the court, racking up 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds against a Houston team that lost key man Kevin Durant to injury shortly before the start of the game.
“It’s just our playoff mentality,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
“You can’t worry about who’s in or out of the lineup. It’s our game plan. It’s our standards. It’s the way we play and we’ve built for that.
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“I thought our guys reacted well and seized the moment. That’s the most important thing. You have to seize the moment in every game, and we were able to do that.”
Luke Kennard continued to thrive as a starter with a career-high 27 points in the playoffs as the Lakers won the opening game in the best-of-seven series.
Durant, 37, has a bruised knee and could return for a second game Tuesday night.
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will begin their season Sunday night against the Suns.
NBA Results
Playoff round 1 (game 1)
Houston Rockets-Lakers 98-107
Toronto Raptors-113-126 Cleveland Cavaliers
Minnesota Timberwolves 105-116 Denver Nuggets
Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks 102-113
Final of the play-in tournament
Golden State Warriors 96-111 Phoenix Suns
Charlotte Hornets 90-121 Orlando Magic