Houston Rockets Set to Play Los Angeles Lakers in First Round of 2026 NBA Playoffs

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Posted: April 13, 2026 -- 8:23 a.m. CT

The Houston Rockets will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the First Round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, with Game 1 taking place in L.A. on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. CT on ABC. Dates for Games 2-4 of the best-of-seven series will be announced following results of the NBA Play-In Tournament, which takes place from April 14-17.

Houston is the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, with L.A. as the fourth seed. It is the 10th time the teams have faced each other in the playoffs, and the first since the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals. That series was played in Orlando, FL, as part of the NBA “bubble” experience.

Games 3 and 4 of the series vs. the Lakers, along with a possible Game 6, will be played at Toyota Center. The Rockets sold out all 41 regular season home games, marking the franchise's first full-season sellout since 2018-19.

The Rockets will host a Playoff Tipoff Party on Friday, April 17 from 5-9 p.m. at Downtown Aquarium (410 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002). The event is free to all fans and will feature games, inflatables, appearances by Clutch the Bear and the Clutch City Dancers, along with the opportunity to purchase Rockets playoff merchandise.

Since NBA adopted the current 16-team playoff format in 1983-84, the fourth and fifth seeded teams have an even series record against each other (42-42). The Rockets won their second title in 1994-95 as the sixth seed and are still the lowest-seeded champion in NBA history.

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