With both teams experiencing significant injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers are taking on the Houston Rockets in game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs
The Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Houston Rockets in game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers are coming off a 107-98 game one win where guard Luke Kennard dropped 27 points with four rebounds and three assists, while forward LeBron James had 19 points with eight rebounds and 13 assists.
“I’m already thinking about ways that I could have been better, putting us in a position to be more successful, both offensively and defensively,” James said. “We’ve got a lot of room for improvement going into Tuesday.”
Lakers-Rockets full first round schedule pic.twitter.com/1fcZ71Yjw5
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 15, 2026
The biggest storyline for this series continues to be health for both teams. Rockets star forward Kevin Durant missed game one of the series with a right knee contusion and is listed as questionable for game two.
Durant injured his knee when he collided with a teammate during a practice last Wednesday.
Los Angeles is still without guards Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves — their two leading scorers —, as both players have been out since the Lakers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. Dončić is dealing with a hamstring strain and Reaves is dealing with an oblique strain.
Dončić returned to the team after seeking special treatment in Europe and has been practicing with the team, but the Lakers have yet to give an update on when he may return.
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The winner of this series will play the winner of the Thunder and Phoenix Suns series.