LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers miraculously pulled off a 112-108 overtime road win over the Houston Rockets in Friday’s Game 3 clash. Along the way, Bronny James made his first scoring mark in the first-round Western Conference playoff series, with the father-son duo sharing some memorable first-half moments.
Bronny’s Game 3 performance left the NBA world delivering a mix of apologies and praise to the sophomore guard, as calls had previously been mounting for the youngster to be removed from Lakers coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
Bronny James Scores 1st Career NBA Playoff Points in Lakers-Rockets Game 3
Receiving extra playing time with Lakers stars Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) sidelined to begin the playoffs, Bronny went scoreless over LA’s Game 1 and Game 2 victories, making his impact defensively.
As such, Bronny entered Friday still looking to notch his first postseason points, and the 21-year-old got on the board in style during an epic second-quarter sequence.
Moments after LeBron banked in a difficult running jumper, Bronny capitalized on a screen from his father and buried a 3-pointer at the top of the arc to put the Lakers in front 50-40 with 7:38 to go in the first half.
The 2024 No. 55 pick followed that up with an acrobatic scoop layup off a fast-break feed from his father, marking the first father-to-son alley-oop connection in NBA history.
“Bronny James from his dad!”
Bronny’s first playoff buckets 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8S95SCFs4N
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) April 25, 2026
Bronny’s quick 5-point scoring outburst alongside LeBron left the NBA community on X buzzing.
“BRONNY JAMES FIRST PLAYOFF POINTS OMFGGG 😭🔥🔥🔥,” fan account BronMuse exclaimed.
BRONNY JAMES FIRST PLAYOFF POINTS OMFGGG 😭🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/y2DlE3FsBi
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) April 25, 2026
“Moments after Bronny James Jr. hit his first playoff 3, thanks in part to a screen set by his dad, Bronny converted an alley-oop layup from LeBron, putting the Lakers up 52-40. Pure theatre,” Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell reacted.
Moments after Bronny James Jr. hit his first playoff 3, thanks in part to a screen set by his dad, Bronny converted an alley-oop layup from LeBron, putting the Lakers up 52-40.
Pure theatre.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 25, 2026
“APOLOGIZE TO BRONNY JAMES!! He out here HOOPIN IN THE NBA PLAYOFFS WITH HIS POPS AND HE IS BALLIN!!” NBA personality Cuffs The Legend demanded.
APOLOGIZE TO BRONNY JAMES!!
He out here HOOPIN IN THE NBA PLAYOFFS WITH HIS POPS AND HE IS BALLIN!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
— 73-9 and THEY LIED (@CuffsTheLegend) April 25, 2026
“Happy for Bronny. Having a playoff moment with his Dad on the Lakers. Unreal,” Lakers Today’s Raj Chipalu gushed.
Happy for Bronny.
Having a playoff moment with his Dad on the Lakers.
Unreal.
— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) April 25, 2026
“LeBron and Bronny cooking at the same time in a playoff game,” parody account @HoodiiBron captioned a Michael Jordan championship celebration meme.
LeBron and Bronny cooking at the same time in a playoff game pic.twitter.com/yqoolMsqOQ
— ✧.* (@HoodiiBron) April 25, 2026
While Bronny ultimately played just 9 minutes off the bench, he finished with 5 points on perfect 2-for-2 shooting from the field and a plus-4 plus-minus. His baskets proved vital, as LA later needed a clutch steal and game-tying triple from his father with 13.1 seconds remaining to force overtime.
LEBRON JAMES TIES THE GAME AT 101 🤯
13.1 SECONDS TO GO ON PRIME. pic.twitter.com/V5LqcXlt7I
— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2026
LeBron finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 4 3s as the Lakers improbably seized a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Kevin Durant-less Rockets. Aside from the 22-time All-Star, Marcus Smart came up huge down the stretch, with the veteran guard’s relentless two-way effort propelling the Lakers to victory in overtime.
LeBron and Co. will look to close out the series with an unexpected 4-0 sweep in Houston on Sunday.
