Luke Kennard’s flawless five threes give Lakers a playoff milestone not seen since 1997
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LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard delivered a postseason career high of 27 points and connected on all five of his three-point attempts as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 107-98 in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round on April 18, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena.
The performance made Kennard the first Laker to hit at least five triples without a miss in a playoff game since Robert Horry went 7-for-7 against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference semifinals. Byron Scott is the only other Laker to achieve a 5-for-5 postseason outing from long range, doing so against the Golden State Warriors in 1991.
Acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, Kennard began his Lakers tenure as a reserve shooter but has moved into the starting lineup with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves sidelined. “Those games leading up to now helped me find a rhythm,” the guard said. “Tonight was no different—shots went in, and I stayed aggressive while keeping everyone organized.”
LeBron James filled an all-around role as Los Angeles opened the series without Dončić and Reaves. After building a lead, the Lakers briefly lost control in the second quarter due to turnovers but steadied themselves to protect home court. “It feels good to get the first one,” Kennard added, highlighting offensive rebounds and turnovers as areas that still need improvement.
The Lakers aim to advance past the opening round and potentially clear the way for one or both injured starters to return later in the postseason.
Source: LakersNation
