The Houston Rockets will kick off their playoff odyssey with a road matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, and they’ll look to set the tone for their first-round series with a Game 1 victory.
A key to victory for the Rockets is to keep star forward LeBron James in check — if they can achieve that, they should be in good shape. With Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic sidelined, folks should expect James to be extra aggressive in looking for his own shot.
Records, standing, and streaks
At present, the Rockets come into this series with the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, and the Lakers hold the No. 4 seed.
As this is Game 1, the series is currently tied 0-0.
What happened in the last game for each team?
Houston beat the Memphis Grizzlies (132-101) at home.
Los Angeles beat the Utah Jazz (131-107) at home.
Injuries
For Los Angeles, Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) is out and Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) is out.
For Houston, Fred VanVleet (ACL repair) is out, Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) is out and Kevin Durant (right knee contusion) is questionable.
Probable starting lineups – Houston
- Amen Thompson
- Josh Okogie
- Kevin Durant
- Jabari Smith Jr.
- Alperen Sengun
Probable starting lineups – Los Angeles
- Marcus Smart
- Luke Kennard
- Rui Hachimura
- LeBron James
- Deandre Ayton
Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:
- Date: April 19, 2026
- Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
- TV Channel: ABC
- Live Stream: Fubo (watch for free)
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets vs. Lakers: Stream, lineups, injury reports and more
About the Author
