![\"LeBron](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2253875663-e1767646136616.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
LeBron James reacts during Sunday\u2019s win as he opens up about his changing role while the Lakers shift toward Luka Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> enter Friday\u2019s Game 3 against the Houston Rockets<\/a> passing every playoff test so far with flying colors.\u00a0<\/p>\n L.A. secured strong victories in Games 1 and 2 as the freshly-unveiled trio of LeBron James<\/a>, Luke Kennard<\/a> and Marcus Smart<\/a> continues to thrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Lakers were assisted in the Game 1 win with Kevin Durant\u2019s<\/a> absence. The Rockets star sat out the opening game of the series after suffering a knee injury in practice a few days before the start of the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many suspected the Lakers win was only the result of Durant, a 16-time All-Star, sitting out. But in Game 2, the Rockets regained Durant, and the Lakers gained another win.<\/p>\n The Game 2 victory pushed L.A. to a place it couldn\u2019t have envisioned just over three weeks ago when stars Luka Doncic<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a> incurred a pair of Grade 2 strains against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>.<\/p>\n But here the Lakers are, up 2-0 with all the momentum a team can dream of \u2014 and the return of Reaves also on the horizon.<\/p>\n Reaves, 27, ramped up his return-to-play process early this week. After he was given an estimated 4-6 week return timeline, Reaves has already been upgraded to questionable ahead of tonight\u2019s game. There is even a chance he suits up for the first time since April 2.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Lakers Announce Eye-Popping Postseason Stats<\/p>\n This will surely add even more flavor to an already delectable start to the playoffs for the Lakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Lakers didn\u2019t just luck into a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Rockets, they are expertly firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA \u2013 APRIL 18: Luke Kennard #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after making a three point shot. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Ahead of game time tonight, the Lakers posted some major stats<\/a> that\u2019ll make L.A. fans feel good about their team\u2019s chances to beat anyone this spring.\u00a0<\/p>\n Firstly, the Lakers are cashing in on a blistering 48.9% from the 3-point line so far this postseason, the most of all 16 tournament teams.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not all.\u00a0<\/p>\n They are also limiting the Rockets to 39% shooting from the field, the best mark of any defense so far this postseason.<\/p>\n Winning big in the NBA<\/a> requires production on both ends of the court. The Lakers are clicking at a remarkable level. They possess massive momentum entering Game 3 in Houston. If L.A. is able to replicate even 75% of the two-way impact from the first two contests, the series score will be headed for 3-0.<\/p>\n No team in NBA history has overcome such a deficit. Only four teams have even forced a Game 7 under those circumstances.<\/p>\n A Major Opportunity at Hand<\/p>\n It is always better to get the job done sooner than later. The Lakers know that.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also realize they can effectively slam the door shut on the Rockets\u2019 season with a win tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n Houston will be at home in front of its boisterous fans. The home team will be playing with desperation. Winning tonight will be a tall task for the Lakers, but they\u2019ve already shown commendable poise in this series. Going up 2-0 without their two best players is a no-joke feat.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty LeBron James reacts during Sunday\u2019s win as he opens up about his changing role while the Lakers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":717381,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3790],"tags":[7,4034,1698,300,4044,251,150,4033,4043,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-717380","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-lakers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-la","10":"tag-la-lakers","11":"tag-lakers","12":"tag-lalakers","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","15":"tag-losangeles","16":"tag-losangeleslakers","17":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116462766934260344","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/717380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=717380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/717380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/717381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=717380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=717380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=717380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2271990586.jpg\")
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