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By Megan Armstrong
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LeBron James is 41.
That's a widely understood fact, but anything written about what James is doing in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs has to be prefaced with the reminder that he's doing it in his 23rd NBA season at age 41.
Last Saturday, James led the Luka Doncic- and Austin Reaves-less Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets, with 19 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds. The four-time NBA champion became the oldest player with 10-plus assists in a playoff game in NBA history. Add it to the list. Eight of his assists came in the first quarter.
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On Tuesday night, James recorded 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, including a truly brain-breaking reverse dunk. The Lakers won 101-94, despite 16-time All-Star Kevin Durant returning to the Rockets lineup.
But of all the records broken or highlights produced, this next stat should scare Rockets fans the most: LeBron James is 32-0 all-time when his team holds a 2-0 series lead in the playoffs.
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According to ESPN, the Lakers' NBA Finals odds have improved dramatically after unexpectedly going up 2-0 on Houston.
That might be premature, considering the Lakers still have to win this series, and then they'd most likely have the pleasure of playing the defending-champion, top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.
Beyond this series, everything hinges on Doncic and Reaves' potential returns. Doncic suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain against the Thunder on April 2. Reaves was diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique muscle injury two days later.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that Reaves is "further along" in his recovery than Doncic and has started on-court work.
"Remember, [in] early April, he had a four-to-six week timetable, so theoretically, that puts him on track [for] late in this series, potentially early in the next series," Charania said. "The Lakers are not expecting Luka Doncic to be back in this series. He is out indefinitely."
In the meantime, James will continue to wear the crown.
The Rockets will host the Lakers for Game 3 on Friday at 8 p.m. EST on Prime Video.
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