The Los Angeles Lakers are set to face the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 18. Coach JJ Redick emphasizes the importance of preparation and resilience despite injuries to key players Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
It is now time for the Los Angeles Lakers to prepare in earnest for the 2026 NBA Playoffs, which will begin this Saturday, April 18. On that evening, they will face the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round best-of-seven series, and they're hoping to send a message to the rest of the league by knocking out the Rockets.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves continue to rehab from hamstring and oblique strains, respectively. In all likelihood, neither will be able to return at any point in this series, although Doncic is reportedly leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to safely return as soon as possible.
Even if the Lakers were fully healthy, this would still be a tough matchup for both teams. Coach JJ Redick acknowledged that truth after Sunday's 131-107 win over the Utah Jazz while also projecting a sense of resilience.
"We have tried for the last six weeks to build towards the playoffs, both in our mentality, with habits, all that stuff. We knew the reality, whether we got three, four, five, six, whatever it was, there's no easy matchup. All those teams slotted there are tough teams, whether it was gonna end up being Denver [Nuggets], Minnesota [Timberwolves] or Houston. Houston’s obviously a really really good basketball team and we're gonna prepare and we're gonna fight and we're gonna go try to win the series.
"Going into today, we told the team like it was; it's not about the opponent, it's about us. And now it is about the opponent. We're gonna do everything we can to get our guys in a great frame of mind, great physical shape over the next four or five days and be ready to play.”
Los Angeles will obviously need an all-hands-on-deck effort to be able to defeat Kevin Durant and crew in this series. But LeBron James has led teams to playoff series victories in the past as underdogs, and he has swiftly adjusted very well to being L.A.'s main threat and superstar once again.
L.A. will have home-court advantage in this series, which could be huge. If it takes care of the first two games in Southern California, it could be well-positioned to take the matchup and advance in the playoffs, which could also buy time for Doncic and Reaves to return.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick on Lakers facing Rockets in playoffs
The Lakers will play the Rockets in Game 1 on April 18, 2026.
Luka Doncic is dealing with a hamstring strain and Austin Reaves has an oblique strain, likely preventing their return during the series.
Coach JJ Redick highlighted the team's focus on building mental and physical readiness, acknowledging the challenge of facing tough opponents like the Rockets.
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