Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Derek Parker | Last updated Apr 13, 2026 2:51 PM ET

The Houston Rockets are officially postseason bound, having put together a 52-30 season that landed them as the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed.

It was an up-and-down season that started that way even before the first game of the season, with veteran lead guard Fred VanVleet going down with a season-ending ACL injury in an offseason workout. Houston had to weather that storm all season long, eventually seeing center Steven Adams out due to injury as well.

Still, there were high points. A 50-win season is nothing to scoff at, and the team did a fine job of assimilating superstar Kevin Durant, despite losing their only true point guard. Additionally, young up-and-coming players in Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard were all able to get valuable reps in-season.

Now, Houston has its sights set on the postseason, where it’s looking to go further than it did in last year’s first-round loss.

Opponent: No. 4 Lakers

The Lakers have been one of the top teams in the West for much of the season, though they’re set to look differently in the coming weeks. LA is made up of a three-headed monster in Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, two of which are up in the air to play in the first round.

Doncic has been getting treatment in Spain, and is expected to be re-evaluted on Tuesday, eyeing a potential mid-series return per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Reaves’ expected return day is the first week of May, placing him out of the range of a first-round return.

According to Shams, Luka Doncic is expected back in L.A. on Tuesday from Spain where he got treatment on his hamstring and will be reevaluated for a possible return later in the first round. Austin Reaves, however, is expected to miss the first round with his oblique injury.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 13, 2026

Still, the Lakers have talent in James, Deandre Ayton — who caused a small flare-up with Clint Capela this season — as well as Marcus Smart, Luka Kennard and more.

It won’t be an easy opening series, but Houston should be positioned to grab its first Playoffs series win since 2020. Should they move on, they'll take on the winner of the Thunder and the West's No. 8 seed in Round 2.

Dates:

The Rockets and Lakers will play in primetime on Saturday, April 18. They’ll face off at 7:30 p.m. CT, following all of Raptors-Cavaliers, Timberwolves-Nuggets and Hawks-Knicks. The two will play Games 1 and 2 in crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA before heading back to Toyota Center in Houston, TX.

For now, the details for only Game 1 have been released, with the rest following the conclusion of the Play-In games.