LeBron James Strengthens GOAT Argument With Win Over Rockets
Who is the greatest NBA player of all-time: LeBron James or Michael Jordan? That debate might be shifting in one direction.
Despite not having Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers won Game 1 of their opening-round series against the Houston Rockets due to their 41-year-old superstar. The future Hall of Famer had 19 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds in a 107-98 win.
In case people thought Saturday's game was a fluke, James led the Lakers to a Game 2 victory over the Rockets. He had 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 39 minutes played. The Lakers also received a great performance from Marcus Smart, who had 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
"He's always been assigned some of the best players that [have] ever played this game in his career. So, to have someone like that it just brings a lot of composure to our team," James said, via ESPN. "Especially when we're missing -- I hate to beat a dead horse, but it's two big horses -- with AR [Reaves] and Luka [Doncic] out. So, to have that, it means a lot to our ballclub."
Prior to this series between the Lakers and Rockets, no NBA team has ever won a playoff game when missing two players who averaged over 20 points per game while also making at least 100 3-pointers. And yet, James has led the Lakers to back-to-back wins.
It's also worth noting that James has recorded 80 playoff games with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists after turning 30 years old. He reached that stat line 75 times prior to turning 30.
For comparison's sake, Jordan had 73 playoff games with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his entire career.
Will the Lakers get their stars back?
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers could get Reaves back in the first round. If they take care of business this week, they should expect him to return for the Western Conference semifinals.
"The sense around the Lakers is that Austin Reaves is actually the one that's further along than Luka Doncic in their respective rehab processes," Charania said. "I am told Austin Reaves has started 1-on-1 on-court work. The next step for him is to continue to go through the progression of 3-on-3, 5-on-5. Remember, early April he had a four-to-six week timetable, so theoretically that puts him on track late in this series, potentially early in the next series."
Doncic's recovery timeline is a bit of a mystery at the moment. Hopefully, he'll get to rejoin James on the hardwood before the Lakers' season comes to an end.
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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 5:44 AM.