NBA Playoffs: Lakers Steal Game 1 and Suddenly Have Life Against the Rockets

As the Los Angeles Lakers headed into their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, it felt like this matchup may have already been slipping away before it even started. Luka Doncic was out. Austin Reaves was out. And against a Houston team with real depth and plenty of firepower, that looked like a brutal way to begin a playoff series.

Then Game 1 changed the tone completely.

The Lakers pulled off a huge 107-98 win over the Rockets on Saturday night, and in doing so, they gave themselves real life in this series. Winning any playoff game matters, but stealing Game 1 while missing your top two scorers is a completely different level of significance. It not only puts immediate pressure on Houston, but also gives Los Angeles belief that this series is not nearly as doomed as it may have seemed just a few days ago.

That is especially true because the Rockets were also without Kevin Durant, whose status moving forward still carries real uncertainty. Houston entered the series hoping Durant could suit up, but he was ultimately unable to go because of a right knee issue. The initial reporting suggested there was no structural damage, which is encouraging, but that still leaves a major question mark hanging over one of the most important players in the matchup.

That's what makes this result so important. The Lakers now have a win in hand, Houston has already dropped home-court advantage, and both teams are still dealing with serious injury uncertainty around star players. For Los Angeles, that is the best possible outcome under the circumstances. The Lakers did not just survive one game without Doncic and Reaves. They shifted the mood of the entire series.

Instead of feeling like a team just trying to hang around until reinforcements arrive, the Lakers now look like a team with a legitimate path. And if Doncic or Reaves can return at some point, or if Durant remains limited, this series suddenly looks far more open than anyone expected going into Game 1.