Tari Eason was Rockets' Lone Bright Spot in Game 1 Loss vs Lakers

He deserves his flowers, after the scruitiny that he's been under.

Apr 12, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The stage was set for the Houston Rockets' young guns to show up and show out in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Especially when news surfaced that Kevin Durant was going to miss the game, due to a knee contusion, which was a bit of a stunning development. 

Granted, Durant held a questionable tag heading into the game, so it shouldn't have been a shock that he missed the game. But it was always assumed that he was going to play. 

His absence meant that the basketball world was going to be able to see what Houston's young prospects were made of, on a national stage. And the Rockets had the prime time slot on ABC/ESPN.

Alperen Sengun had 19 points, but still turned in a rather disappointing performance. Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points on 14 shots.

Reed Sheppard had 17 points on 20 shots, and had a team-high of four turnovers. Amen Thompson had 17 points on 18 shots (and likely would've had more points, were it not for non foul calls).

Tari Eason, however, had a rather masterful performance. Eason had 16 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.

Eason also went a perfect 7-for-7 from the line and had three steals, which also tied for the team lead, alongside Amen Thompson. Eason also went 2-for-2 from three-point range, which surely felt great for him, when considering his shooting struggles inconsistencies throughout the season. 

Eason shot 20 percent from deep in March, on 3.4 attempts. He also shot 24.1 percent from deep in April, on 4.1 attempts.

At one point, Eason went scoreless from long-range for seven games in totality, during the month of March. Eason's cold shooting stretch understandably garnered a significant amount of bad press from the local media, which surely affected him.

And he's been in and out of the starting lineup all season, for one reason or another. Mostly due to injury, which has been a major issue for him throughout his career (although he played all 82 games as a rookie).

Eason has been playing with a mountain of pressure on his shoulders all season, after turning down a $100 million contract offer from the Rockets in the offseason, due to the Rockets wanting injury guarantees in the deal.

If Game 1 was any indicator of how he's going to fare during the postseason, he may have been wise to bet on himself, after all.