With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined, LeBron James ignited the Lakers' offense with "a little bit of everything," posting 19 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and two steals in a Game 1 upset of the Rockets.

Some people may have thought that LeBron James was going to be very aggressive offensively in Game 1 of the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets and look to score a lot of points. Some may have even felt that doing so was going to be necessary for him with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out of action.Instead, James played the role of table-setter for the vast majority of Game 1 on Saturday. He had eight assists in the first quarter alone to jump-start the Lakers' offense, and although he had only four points during that first quarter, his approach worked. The team shot 78.9% from the field in the first period and ended it with a 33-29 lead, and James' early play set the tone for L.A.'s 107-98 victory.James finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists, and after the game, he talked about the role he decided to play."For me, I got to do a little bit of everything," said James. "It's what the job requires. So, being a triple threat, being able to rebound, being able to pass, being able to shoot and also defend and put myself in position where I can bring value to this ball club, bring value to this team throughout this series."It's gonna be a game-to-game situation to see how the game plays out."James did get a little more offensive-minded late in the game by scoring nine points in the fourth quarter to pad L.A.'s lead and repel Houston's attempts to make a rally. But overall, he throttled back and let a few others do more of the heavy lifting offensively.Center Deandre Ayton, who may be the biggest key in this series for L.A. other than James, had 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, as well as 11 rebounds. The biggest offensive star on Saturday was sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard. He went 9-of-13 from the field and made all five of his 3-point attempts to score a career playoff high of 27 points.Granted, the Lakers may have been gifted this win due to the unexpected absence of Rockets future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, who was ruled out just prior to the opening tip due to a knee ailment. But the Lakers' balanced offensive output, their high efficiency they shot 60.6% overall and 52.6% from downtown and their defensive effort and decision-making bode well for them moving forward.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James on roundabout role he played in Lakers' Game 1 win

Edwin Daz hasn't recorded a save in more than a week, and Kyle Tucker's numbers aren't great, but the Dodgers are 15-4

A season of injuries have made it worst for Chennai Super Kings- first it was MS Dhoni, Khaleel Ahmed and now a body blow with Ayush Mhatre.

Jalen Brunson scored 22 of his game-high 28 points in the first half Saturday at Madison Square Garden, and New York posted a 113-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Wales have lost their past seven games in the Six Nations [Huw Evans Picture Agency]Sean Lynn insists Wales are closing the gap on the world's top nations despite another bruising defeat.Lynn's wait for a Six Nations victory goes on after his side were out-played in a 38-7 loss to France in Cardiff.And the odds of seven successive championship defeats becoming eight look extremely high as they prepare to face England next.Even the most optimistic Wales fan will be fearful of what the world and defending Six Nations champions could inflict at Ashton Gate next Saturday after their remarkable 84-7 thrashing of Scotland."I watched the first 10 minutes of that game in the hotel before [Wales' match]. England have got a lot of firepower haven't they," said Lynn."I watched them against Ireland last week as well and you can see they have just got so much pace in the backs in Jess Breach and Ellie Kildunne."The big focus has to be on us, how do we move the dial, how are we fixing our processes in attack and defence."Wales have now lost 11 of their past 12 Tests and while they were rarely expected to beat France, they certainly had the visitors rattled at the Arms Park.Pressure up front led to two swift yellow cards, either side of a penalty try, and plenty of uncharacteristic errors from Les Bleues.But while Wales still held France to 7-7 at half-time, their failure to capitalise on a nine-minute period against 13 players told a story.They also struggled to contain the inevitable backlash as France seized control with three tries in the space of 14 minutes early in the second half."We attempted 247 tackles, that's a lot and it does take its toll," said Lynn."We have to look to keep the ball more. It was the same against Scotland, we were forcing the ball. "The set-piece did well in the first half but not in the second. We need to be more consistent in those areas."Lynn insists his side are closing the gap on the leading nations."We went in level at half-time against a top-four side and I thought the final scoreline was harsh," he added."It's just making sure we're getting better with the first 10-15 minutes of the second half and the bench needs to be making the sort of impact that France's did."'Rusty' to 'relentless' - Red Roses deliver statement winAs it happened - Reaction as six-try France overpower Wales in Cardiff'Size doesn't matter'There was certainly commitment, discipline, try-saving tackles and bodies on the line for Wales.But there were limitations as well, not least in the kicking game which faltered, a young side still looking to solve problems on the pitch in the heat of battle and missed tackles as weary, lighter bodies slipped off powerful blue jerseys.Captain Kate Williams says they are developing a gameplan designed around speed of thought and action, given the lack of bulk in Wales' ranks."It doesn't matter about size. If you're looking one on one, we can go toe-toe with grit and effort but as a nation we need to be so much technically and tactically better [than opponents]," she said."We're good at that in patches but if we're not, you know weight wins when you play the likes of France. "We know that. We're not going to suddenly grow 20kg heavier so that [technique and tactics] is where we are focusing our efforts and improving."Wales will need to improve rapidly when they face the full weight of the world champions next week.Women's Six Nations: Fixtures, results, standings and BBC coverage