ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Lakers 4/18/2026 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 1)

good thing we have no chance at him despite once owning Brooklyn’s 2026 pick. Yay!!!!

 

It insane stone gave them back that pick to compete

 

Only Tari did unfortunately.

 

Amen too, his layups just weren't falling as often as usual, and he was getting hacked with no call like crazy

The three biggest problems I saw in order:

• Sengun and Sheppard were out there to be primary offensive threats, and both had horrible offensive games. Like not even garden variety bad games like Amen had, they shot 31.6% and 30% respectively. Would have been a bottom 10 game for Sengun efficiency-wise in the regular season, and bottom 20 for Reed.
• ...while also getting picked on repeatedly at the point of attack. We just could not stop anybody on the perimeter and it was mainly because LA kept going at those two every possession they could.
• We played 20 minutes of Tate and Holiday and they were both atrocious, so we didn't even have an advantage over LA's dismal bench.

 

when you know a team has hit rock bottom.

 

Before the game the overwhelming consensus here and on r/Rockets (Reddit) was that the Rockets were home free because the Lakers would be without Reaves and Donic. Many were already looking ahead to round two. It was as if everyone deliberately chose to ignore what they’d seen from this team offensively over the past few months. I didn’t buy into that narrative because even without those two, the Lakers still had Lebron who was not going to go away quietly. In case anyone wasn’t paying attention he delivered this message to his team:

“They’re the best rebounding team in the last 25 years … The message is, get your ass in there, box out and rebound. Don’t need to have a message. We’re all grown men. Do your job,” James stated.

Loosing KD was unfortunate but even with KD, this team is facing an uphill battle to score points against a determined team led by LBJ who will not go away quietly. Everyone - players, coaches fans - completely underestimated the Lakers in game one and yet, when things began to unravel all you saw posted here was endless whining about the refs and virtually nothing about the offensive ineptitude on display from the Rockets. And let’s not even go into Ime’s coaching (or lack of). Going forward, it will be interesting to see if this provided the wakeup call this team needed in order to pull their collective heads out of their behinds.

 

I wish i liked KD more. this is hilarious.

 

Banchero is awful. Just a stat guy.

Prime Shareef Abdur-Rahim

 

You and everyone who like this @Arnel @LosPollosHermanos and @astros123 Banchero is a playoff riser look at what he is doing to detroit right now, Stone was maybe right on drafting him to be our franchise player

 

Not the point man. Not the point lol. The point was the GM was a moron in how he went about bragging about Banchero and revealing things other teams didn’t even know about him… before the draft. You just don’t do that. Just basic stuff man, I don’t care if it was Shawn Bradley as prospect. Keep your mouth shut and don’t give away everything you know and all your plans.

 

The Lakers picked up Macus Smart and Ayton from buyout markets, They both played better than Sengun last game.

Stone did nothing makes me disgusting.

 

Unless you're trying to get someone else to fall, right?

 

Rocket organization sucks.

They looks like a bunch of fools.

 

Do you truly believe stone wanted Jabari? You know stone is a seattle guy and loves basketball players from there.. it's well document on here and from some of the insiders on here... I think you need to visit the Banchero thread Nook even just recently said Banchero still has fans inside the Rockets organization.

 

I said it before the game.

Obviously Kennard had no trouble at all.

 

It wasn’t just Stone’s enthusiasm - I’m guessing Jabari had a very underwhelming workout with the Magic (and Thunder), which made clear he was (a) not ready for the NBA and/or (b) lacked star player potential. Think about it - they chose a player who didn’t work out for them over one who did. To make a game shoe analogy, a person who’s won a Porsche isn’t going to swap it for the mystery prize between door #2 but a person with the blender probably will.

 

They caught fire. Any NBA team can. You make adjustments and go again

 

We had home court then and won game 2

 

He didn't bench Harden; he just ran with the team that was working at the time. Josh Smith was on fire