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The Los Angeles Lakers face the Houston Rockets in the NBA Playoffs on April 18, 2026, at 8:30 PM ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC and available for live streaming on Fubo.
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Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets meet LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers as they open their first-round NBA Playoffs series Saturday night in a matchup shaped by star power and major injuries.
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The Lakers enter as the No. 4 seed after a 53â29 regular season, narrowly edging the Rockets (52â30) for home-court advantage in this best-of-seven series. Game 1 is set for Saturday in Los Angeles, with a primetime broadcast on ABC to kick off what will be their first playoff meeting since the 2020 bubble.
Despite the seeding edge, momentum leans toward Houston, which closed the regular season strongly and enters the series in much better health.
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The biggest storyline is availability as the Lakers will be without Luka DonÄiÄ and Austin Reaves due to injuries, leaving LeBron James to carry the offensive load.
The Lakers vs Rockets playoff game starts at 8:30 PM ET on April 18, 2026.
The game can be watched live on ABC and streamed on Fubo.
The Lakers vs Rockets playoff matchup is scheduled for April 18, 2026.

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Kevin Durant will not play in Game 1 against the Lakers due to a knee injury.
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On the other side, Houston counters with a deeper, healthier roster led by Kevin Durant and rising talent like Alperen ĆengĂŒn, giving them a clear advantage in depth and defensive structure.
If Los Angeles can control turnovers and get strong contributions from its role players, it has a path, but on paper, this series tilts toward the Rockets heading into Game 1.
This is a great NBA matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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