Lakers Playoff Schedule: Dates, Times, Opponents, TV Channel

The Los Angeles Lakers clinched the fourth seed in the Western Conference, wrapping up the Pacific Division title along the way. There was a real chance at third, but Denver held on, and now LeBron James and the Lakers head into the postseason carrying more weight than just a tough bracket.

The Los Angeles Lakers will face the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, a best-of-seven series where the Lakers hold home-court advantage. That edge matters more than usual right now, with both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured and their availability for Game 1 still unknown.

The last time LeBron James and Kevin Durant met in a playoff series was the 2018 NBA Finals, when Durant's Golden State Warriors swept LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers. Durant won Finals MVP both years he faced LeBron, and now, eight years later, they are squaring up again, this time in the first round.

Lakers vs. Rockets 2026 Playoffs First Round Schedule

Game 1 is confirmed. The dates and times for Games 2 through 7 will be announced by the NBA after the play-in tournament wraps up, which runs April 14-17.

• Game 1: April 18 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Los Angeles | ABC
• Game 2: TBD | Los Angeles | TBD
• Game 3: TBD | Houston | TBD
• Game 4: TBD | Houston | TBD
• Game 5 (if necessary): TBD | Los Angeles | TBD
• Game 6 (if necessary): TBD | Houston | TBD
• Game 7 (if necessary): TBD | Los Angeles | TBD

How to Watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs

This is the first year of the NBA's new media rights deal, so the games are spread across three different companies. Here is a breakdown by what you are watching on.

Streaming apps:

• Prime Video (Amazon): Included with any Amazon Prime subscription ($14.99/month or $139/year). Carries all six play-in tournament games exclusively, plus roughly one-third of first and second-round games
• Peacock (NBC): $10.99/month with ads, $16.99/month ad-free. Streams every game that airs on NBC
• ESPN Unlimited (ESPN app): $29.99/month or $299.99/year. Streams all ESPN and ABC games, including the NBA Finals

TV channels:

• ABC: Game 1 of this series and the NBA Finals
• NBC: Carries 28 games across the first two rounds
• ESPN: Shares coverage with ABC across the first two rounds

If you do not have cable, services like YouTube TV ($64.99/month), Hulu + Live TV ($89.99/month), and DirecTV Stream ($89.99/month) all carry ABC, NBC, and ESPN under one package.

Doncic is dealing with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and has been in Europe for specialized treatment to speed up his recovery. Reaves, meanwhile, has a Grade 2 oblique strain with a four-to-six week timeline. Both are almost certainly sitting out the start of the series.

The second round is the realistic target for both to return, but that only happens if the Lakers actually get there. That job falls entirely on LeBron James, who averaged 25.5 points on 56% shooting in the final stretch of the regular season without either of them.

At 41, he is the oldest player in the league, and now he has to carry this short-handed team through a first-round series against a legitimate contender.

Houston is a real threat with Durant and Alperen Sengun, and the Lakers know that. But if LeBron can hold things together for one round, the second round could look very different with Doncic and Reaves probably back in the lineup.

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