The Los Angeles Lakers entered their playoff opener against the Houston Rockets knowing they would need more than LeBron James to step up. With both Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic unavailable, JJ Redick’s side lacked key offensive options.

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant was visibly frustrated with the knee injury that held him out of his team's playoff-opening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers during a pregame workout Saturday, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported.

Kennard scored a playoff career-high 27 points against the Rockets on Saturday night and discussed his feelings with the Southern California News Group after the series-opening victory.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Los Angeles Lakers’ leading scorers, watched Luke Kennard’s inferno and LeBron James’ mastermind from the sideline during the Game 1 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Four Game 1 matchups took place in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on Saturday, and we’ve already seen some major movement in the NBA Finals market.  T

The Lakers took advantage of a bad Game 1 shooting night for the Rockets, particularly in the paint, but they still have issues to address.

2026 NBA playoffs picks, predictions, odds for Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers Western Conference first-round NBA postseason series. Who wins?

The Houston Rockets opted to sit Dorian Finney-Smith in Game 1 of their postseason series against the Los Angeles Lakers, which underscores how much of a disappointment he's been this season.