The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 101-94 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series by using the formula that has won around LeBron James for years. All King James needs is shooting and defense flanking him. The GOAT will do the rest, and it has been proven true in the series.
LeBron didn’t have his best game on Tuesday night. He finished with 28 points, seven assists, eight rebounds, and one steal in 39 minutes of action. James made just eight of his 20 field goals and missed four free throws, but it didn’t matter. The Lakers shot 46 percent from 3-point range and held Houston to 94 points to grab the win.
The Cavaliers went to the NBA Finals in 2007 with shooting and defense around LeBron. The GOAT has won four championships, including a 2020 ring with the Lakers. All of those successful teams have put shooting and defense around King James. LeBron raises his team’s ceiling, and the formula has Los Angeles up 2-0 on the Rockets.
Lakers are slowly re-learning the winning formula around LeBron James
This team wasn’t supposed to be built around LeBron James. The Lakers have Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. LBJ was brought in as the third option before the other two stars went down late in the season. Reaves is slowly making progress toward a return, but there is no guarantee either player is back in this series.
LA needs LeBron to get them to the second round. That means dusting off the vintage formula to win. The Lakers haven’t used it since the 2020 title team. They traded for Russell Westbrook the following year and have struggled to find 3-and-D options. Now, head coach JJ Redick is slowly embracing the old formula, and it has Los Angeles surprisingly up two games to none.
LeBron is turning back the clock. The 41-year-old shouldn’t be able to do what he is doing. He had 19 points and 13 dimes in Game 1. James was attacking the basket in Game 2 and did something he hadn’t done in months.
First time LeBron James has had double-digit FT attempts in a game since January and just the fifth time he's done so all season.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 22, 2026
The Lakers held the Rockets to 98 points in the series opener. Even with Kevin Durant back, Houston scored just 17 in the third quarter on Tuesday night on their way to finishing with 94. The defense has been outstanding and significantly better than the sum of its parts. That is exactly what they need without Luka and AR. Credit to coach Redick because he is making it work.
The Los Angeles Lakers are fully embracing their 2020 championship formula with the 2026 team. They are putting shooting and defense around LeBron James, and it has them up 2-0 in a first-round playoff series everybody thought they’d lose without their two best players. The role players are knocking down shots, and James is running the offense at an elite level at 41 years old.
Lakers fans should be hyped. They’ve seen this formula win a ring. Now, it just has to be good enough to defeat the Rockets, so the purple and gold can get Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves back. So far, it is coming up aces.
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