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Los Angeles hosts Houston to start playoffs
TL;DR
The Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Lakers won the regular season series 2-1, including a recent victory where Luka Doncic scored 40 points.
Key points
- Lakers host Rockets in Western Conference playoffs
- Game scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. EDT
- Lakers won regular season series 2-1
- Luka Doncic scored 40 points in last matchup
- Alperen Sengun scored 27 points for the Rockets
Los Angeles LakersHouston RocketsLuka DoncicAlperen Sengun
Houston Rockets (52-30, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference)
Los Angeles; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Rockets -5.5; over/under is 207.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Lakers host first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets to open the Western Conference first round. Los Angeles went 2-1 against Houston during the regular season. The Lakers won the last regular season matchup 124-116 on Thursday, March 19 led by 40 points from Luka Doncic, while Alperen Sengun scored 27 points for the Rockets.
The Lakers are 33-19 in Western Conference games. Los Angeles has an 8-3 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Rockets are 29-23 against Western Conference opponents. Houston has a 5-9 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Lakers make 50.2% of their shots from the field this season, which is 4.2 percentage points higher than the Rockets have allowed to their opponents (46.0%). The Rockets average 11.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.3 fewer made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Lakers allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jake LaRavia is scoring 8.2 points per game and averaging 4.0 rebounds for the Lakers. LeBron James is averaging 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Kevin Durant is averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Rockets. Reed Sheppard is averaging 3.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 7-3, averaging 116.2 points, 41.4 rebounds, 28.6 assists, 10.4 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 52.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.2 points per game.
Rockets: 9-1, averaging 123.6 points, 49.1 rebounds, 28.7 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.4 points.
Q&A
What time does the Lakers vs Rockets playoff game start?
The Lakers vs Rockets playoff game starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
What was the outcome of the regular season series between the Lakers and Rockets?
The Los Angeles Lakers won the regular season series against the Houston Rockets 2-1.
Who were the standout players in the last regular season matchup?
In the last regular season matchup, Luka Doncic scored 40 points for the Lakers, while Alperen Sengun scored 27 points for the Rockets.
