When the NBA playoffs began, no one predicted the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to defeat the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Somehow, someway, the Los Angeles Lakers found a way to do that on Friday night. Whether it was through big performances by Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, or LeBron James, the Lakers kept finding ways to get the job done as the series progressed.

LA may have stumbled in a few games, but Houston ultimately showed that they couldn't live up to the moment when they historically blew Game 3, and were ultimately blown out in Game 6.

As the Lakers had lost two straight games to the Rockets, it was LeBron James who decided he'd seen enough of the Rockets and put a close to the first round chapter.

In Game 6, LeBron put up 28 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds on 40/40/75 shooting from the field against the Rockets. He led the Lakers in scoring as both Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart continued to struggle tremendously.

One could call what James did in Game 6 a vintage performance, as no one expected a 41-year-old to be the best player on the court. In six overall games against the Rockets, James averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 assists, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on 43/30/74 shooting from the field.

James' shooting may not have been as efficient as it usually is, but the Lakers' defense absolutely destroyed the Rockets; at the same time, one could argue that the Rockets have a horrible offense. Houston was held to just 78 points against a Los Angeles Lakers team missing Luka Doncic.

The biggest thing the Lakers have shown throughout the 2026 NBA playoffs is that their role players have been capable of stepping up. While Kennard and Smart may have struggled in Game 6, both Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura had massive performances against the Rockets.

Ayton put up 7 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block on 33% shooting from the field. Hachimura put up 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists on 71.4% shooting from deep. Lost in all of this was the fact that Austin Reaves is finally starting to come into form, also putting up 15 points on 50% shooting.

The Los Angeles Lakers will ultimately have the hardest challenge out of any team in the NBA playoffs coming up next. Without Luka Doncic, the Lakers will have to figure out a way to defeat the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.

If there was any team that could figure out a way to get the job done, it would be the Lakers team that 15 out of 16 ESPN analysts predicted to lose to the Rockets in the first round.