JJ Redick fires back at people who doubted the Lakers that are now saying that they have what it takes to win “I didn’t know anybody said we had what it takes to win.” pic.twitter.com/TsjkHX7Hqs— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) April 22, 2026

You just can not say enough about Marcus Smart’s impact this postseason – More PTS than Alperen Sengun- More STL than Amen Thompson- Most BLK this series (Tied with 2 players)- Second most 3PM this series pic.twitter.com/Dw7WJeGfV2— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) April 22, 2026

JJ Redick has coached a heck of a series so far vs Houston. Two things on offense:Counteracting the defense sagging off Marcus Smart by using him on-ball.Running actions that force Luke Kennard to be a shooter. He's a great shooter, but sometimes reluctant.On defense:…— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) April 22, 2026

LAKERS BENCH POSTS TEAM-BEST PLUS/MINUS!Lakers continue to get great play from bench even though two bench players are starting for Doncic and Reaves. In this game, although Vando, Jake, and Jax only scored 6 points, they grabbed 11 boards, dished out 2 assists, made 2… pic.twitter.com/3Y3tZyJoJD— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 22, 2026

LAKERS #3 DEFENSE IN 2026 PLAYOFFS!After holding the Houston Rockets, who had the #8 offense in the NBA during the regular season, to less than 100 points for 2 straight games in their first round playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers are now ranked as the #3 playoff defense… pic.twitter.com/fa2K8AtoKd— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 22, 2026

LAKERS HAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENSE 🔒 pic.twitter.com/DVgCQlxm2g— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) April 22, 2026

VINTAGE LeBron James with 28 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST as the Lakers get the 101-94 WIN over the Rockets & TAKE A 2-0 SERIES LEAD 🙌 🔥Marcus Smart: 25 PTS, 7 AST, 5 STL pic.twitter.com/rnOMTWR6gX— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 22, 2026

It’s time for Game 2 of Lakers-Rockets.And here are the Game 2 shirts at Crypto: pic.twitter.com/TOJeaiUKuI— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) April 21, 2026

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received 96/100 votes for Clutch Player of the Year.Jalen Brunson (2), Cade Cunningham (1), and Nikola Jokic (1) received the other four first-place votes: pic.twitter.com/O2Yjniub6N— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 21, 2026

Shams just said that Austin Reaves has started 1- on-1 on court work and is making progress Although Luka remains out indefinitely, AR is on track to return in the later part of this series or the early part of Round 2 pic.twitter.com/W0SkRcD0ks— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) April 21, 2026

THE LAKERS CAN TAKE A COMMANDING 2-0 LEAD TONIGHT A LeBron-led team has NEVER lost a first round series after winning Game 1 pic.twitter.com/p9oto2ZDvz— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 21, 2026

BREAKING: Steve Kerr is departing as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. After a twelve-year run with the Warriors including four championships, per @MichaelBBNews pic.twitter.com/aj2GU7y0TP— Shot Coverage (@ShotCoverage) April 21, 2026

NBA PLAYOFF SERIES STANDINGS:(AS OF 4/20/2026)West #1 Thunder vs #8 Suns: 1-0 #4 Lakers vs #5 Rockets: 1-0 #3 Nuggets vs #6 Timberwolves: 1-1 #2 Spurs vs #7 Trailblazers:1-0East #1 Pistons vs #8 Magic: 0-1 #4 Cavaliers vs #5 Raptors: 2-0 #3 Knicks vs #6 Hawks: 1-1 #2… pic.twitter.com/D2eemIIMoE— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 21, 2026

MONDAY'S FINAL SCORES Ant drops 30 as the @Timberwolves win Game 2 on the road to even the series in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs presented by @Google!Julius Randle: 24 PTS, 9 REB, 6 ASTDonte DiVincenzo: 16 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 4 3PMGame 3: Thursday, 9:30pm/et on Prime https://t.co/T2FQdDAbXY pic.twitter.com/zPXaEdkDgs— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2026

“I still believe just being a two-way player in this league, that’s truly my second nature."Can Deandre Ayton deliver when the Lakers need it this postseason? From @BA_Turner: https://t.co/jUNV4Eac0n— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) April 16, 2026

Lakers vs. Rockets Game 2 Preview: Can L.A. take control? https://t.co/n7TO4D8cEv— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 21, 2026

Lakers-Rockets Game 2: Where This Series Goes Next https://t.co/ImVP11bSIA— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 21, 2026

Lakers have hired Ryan Kantor as VP of Global PartnershipsWhat he brings:🔸Will lead sponsorship revenue + global expansion🔸 Director of Corporate Sponsorships (Clippers / Intuit Dome / Kia Forum)🔸 Closed large-scale partnership deals across sports + live entertainment… pic.twitter.com/hGSgDRhrrJ— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅 🏆 (@PurpGoldLakers) April 21, 2026

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama has won the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He is the youngest player in league history to win the award.— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 20, 2026

JJ REDICK TO LUKE KENNARD: NEED TO SHOOT MORE THREES7 – 3PA @ 38% = 8 PPG3 – 3PA @ 45% = 4 PPGLakers working hard to convert Kennard from low to high volume 3-point shooter. Right now, Kennard as a Laker is averaging 3.0 three-point attempts per game and shooting… https://t.co/o1EwHodZLy pic.twitter.com/uvihOFXqCe— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 20, 2026

.@getnickwright: “If you’re asking me who I would pick right now, I think the Lakers are gonna win the series.”@Chris_Broussard: “If Kevin Durant misses Game 2, the Lakers will win the series… If I knew he was gonna miss some games, I may have picked the Lakers.” pic.twitter.com/4aSYn7XmrV— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 20, 2026

Stephen A. Smith says no athlete has ever been this great for this long like LeBron:“…I don’t know of an athlete that has been this good this long… At age 41, in his 23rd season, has there ever, ever, ever, ever been anybody this good for this long? The answer to that is… pic.twitter.com/9UEj308k9S— BronMuse (@BronMuse) April 20, 2026

Shams: "Kevin Durant's status for Game 2 is up in the air.” 😳(H/T @ohnohedidnt24) pic.twitter.com/qpQ9JUbaop— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 20, 2026

Lakers lose tiebreaker to Knicks, will pick 25th pic.twitter.com/FC48Np3vf4— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 20, 2026

LAKERS SANS DONCIC & REAVES AREBETTER THAN ROCKETS WITH KD!Anybody who has actually watched Game 1 or the 2 games the LA beat Houston last month could see the Lakers were playing chess while the Rockets were playing checkers.The disrespect is stunning. The Lakers adapted to… https://t.co/8lQsFxWAk1 pic.twitter.com/ujjm9NeOwG— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 20, 2026

BREAKING: LeBron-led teams are 13-0 when they win Game 1 of Round 1.Something to keep in mind… 👀 pic.twitter.com/QeHmJ1uFuP— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) April 19, 2026

Door opens for Lakers to complete ideal reunion after Thunder's playoff domination https://t.co/KrzQ5N0TZS— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 20, 2026

Luke Kennard’s highlight reel from when he played on LeBron’s AAU team is just INSANE to look at now 🤯(H/t @Ballislife) pic.twitter.com/M08xrzLTAa— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) April 19, 2026

No #Lakers are finalists for the 2025-26 NBA awards. pic.twitter.com/4EszAWEdtu— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) April 20, 2026

Jeanie Buss says Kobe Bryant would be “excited” that Luka Doncic is now a Laker“The last time I saw Kobe alive was about a month before he passed, he came to the Lakers-Dallas game with Gigi, because Luka was Gigi's favorite player. So I know that Kobe would be excited that… pic.twitter.com/lHUuPsYjpG— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) April 20, 2026

2026 NBA Playoffs update:EAST:(8) Magic lead (1) Pistons 1-0(2) Celtics lead (7) 76ers 1-0(3) Knicks lead (6) Hawks 1-0(4) Cavs lead (5) Raptors 1-0WEST:(1) Thunder lead (8) Suns 1-0(2) Spurs lead (7) Blazers 1-0(3) Nuggets lead (6) Wolves 1-0(4) Lakers lead (5)…— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 20, 2026

Deandre Ayton was indeed “not no Clint Capela” in Game 1 😂💪 pic.twitter.com/H1ca9LBC9m— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 20, 2026

Deandre Ayton was indeed “not no Clint Capela” in Game 1 😂💪 pic.twitter.com/H1ca9LBC9m— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 20, 2026

BREAKING: LeBron-led teams are 13-0 when they win Game 1 of Round 1.Something to keep in mind… 👀 pic.twitter.com/QeHmJ1uFuP— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) April 19, 2026

Our Access SportsNet crew breaks down a Game 1 win behind elite shooting, team balance, and a locked-in defensive effort. pic.twitter.com/nmGiXdk8TT— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 19, 2026

The Lakers spent all week talking about the two things they had to do to compete with the Rockets. Saturday, the Lakers did neither — and still won. On JJ Redick, the Lakers and the powers of adaptability (free) https://t.co/JlSwSRCLK3— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 19, 2026

Game 1: Lakers 107, Rockets 98LA takes a 1-0 series lead. The team that wins Game 1 wins the series nearly 80% of the time. LeBron had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 13 assists. Luke Kennard had a playoff career-high 27 points. Deandre Ayton had 19 and 11.Up next: Game 2 on Tues.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 19, 2026

🚨 LAKERS STARTING 5:Rui Hachimura WILL start over Jake LaRavia tonight, per the team pic.twitter.com/HeqEjKqlQx— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) April 19, 2026

Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant will miss Game 1 against the Lakers tonight due to a right knee injury.— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 18, 2026

I did extensive Lakers-Rockets preview on Thursday.Now switching to quick notes mode.Here’s what I’m watching in Game 1 tonight (free link)👇https://t.co/hgm3W1zcLC pic.twitter.com/UXdg0yY8v6— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) April 18, 2026

REPORT: There's a chance Luka Doncic can return in the middle of the first round Lakers-Rockets series, per @jovanbuha.(via @Elex_Michaelson, h/t @Fullcourtpass) pic.twitter.com/uh1od0s3fS— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 18, 2026

NEW STORY: Is this playoff run the end for LeBron James? The end for LeBron with the Lakers? Or did something happen this year that will bring him back for a 24th season? @sam_amick and I on a must-watch moment in time for James. (Free) https://t.co/ErVV3a3tYi— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 17, 2026