Los Angeles Lakers stun Houston Rockets with record shooting in playoff opener
The Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of two key players to secure a shock nine-point victory over the Houston Rockets in their NBA play-off opener on Saturday.
Entering the contest without leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the hosts were considered heavy underdogs.
The Texan franchise were also missing their own talisman, Kevin Durant, but were widely tipped to dominate the Western Conference series.
However, an unexpected 27-point barrage from Luke Kennard and a near triple-double from 41-year-old veteran LeBron James completely flipped the script.
Record-breaking offensive display
The fourth seeds never trailed by more than two points and eventually built a commanding 16-point advantage before closing out the game.
Their offensive execution was virtually flawless, resulting in an effective field goal percentage of 68.2%.
That remarkable figure stands as a new franchise record for the 17-time champions in postseason basketball.
Statistical anomaly offers hope for Houston
Despite the comprehensive defeat, underlying data suggests the visiting side have reasons to remain optimistic ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday.
Advanced tracking metrics reveal that the expected shooting percentage for the hosts was significantly lower at just 51.5%.
This massive 16.7% gap between expected and actual performance represents one of the highest shotmaking anomalies in recorded NBA history.
For context, no other team across the opening weekend of the 2026 playoffs achieved even half of that shotmaking differential.
The last time a Los Angeles roster produced such an unlikely shooting performance was eight years ago during the 2018 regular season.
