Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Lakers 2-0, LeBron 32-0, Reaves Near Return

4/23/2026

25 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Lakers Take Lead

The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a 2-0 lead over the Houston Rockets in the first-round series.
Opening as +550 underdogs, the Lakers are now slight betting favorites at -135, with LeBron James—32-0 when he jumps out to a 2-0 lead—lifting Finals odds from +15000 to +3500.
Austin Reaves, diagnosed with a grade-2 oblique strain on April 3, resumed drills and may return for Game 5 on April 29 or Game 6 on May 1.

Summary

Rockets Seek Win

Game 3 is on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET in Houston’s Toyota Center, streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Points allowed per game are 110 for the Rockets (fourth-fewest) and 114.6 for the Lakers (eleventh-fewest).
Houston outscored opponents by 428 points (5.2 per game) versus the Lakers’ 144-point margin (1.7 per game).
Six of the Rockets’ last eight games went over, with the over hitting in seven of their last eight Conference matchups.

History

Historical Context

The Los Angeles Lakers' 2000 NBA Finals victory marked the start of a dominant era under coach Phil Jackson, who implemented the triangle offense with stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. This championship was the franchise's first in over a decade and initiated a three-peat, as they also won in 2001 and 2002, solidifying their legacy in NBA history.

1 of 3

Lakers Take Lead

The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a 2-0 lead over the Houston Rockets in the first-round series.
Opening as +550 underdogs, the Lakers are now slight betting favorites at -135, with LeBron James—32-0 when he jumps out to a 2-0 lead—lifting Finals odds from +15000 to +3500.
Austin Reaves, diagnosed with a grade-2 oblique strain on April 3, resumed drills and may return for Game 5 on April 29 or Game 6 on May 1.

1 / 3