The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and according to research done by Nielsen, millions of people are watching the games, and that includes the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets series.
In a report released on Friday, April 24, the NBA delivered a message with bragging rights: The 2026 NBA playoffs are breaking records on a nightly basis. They also had a specific message for the Lakers and Rockets.
First, the NBA announced that the initial Sunday of the NBA Playoffs, which featured four games, reached more than 35 million viewers in the U.S. across ABC, NBC and Peacock. “That total was the highest reached in 15 years, and it was up 65 percent from last year,” the network said in a statement. “The games averaged 4.87 million viewers across ABC and NBC/Peacock, the highest in 15 years.”
NBA Announces Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets News Before Game 3
Ahead of the Lakers and Rockets Game 3, the NBA announced that Tuesday evening’s Lakers-Rockets game was the most-watched first round Game 2 since 2011, averaging 5.2 million viewers.
The game “peaked at 5.8 million viewers and averaged 5.2 million, up 27 percent vs. comparable game last year and ranking as the most-watched First Round Game 2 since 2011,” the NBA added.
“NBC Sports’ presentation of the NBA Playoffs for the first time in 24 years delivered strong viewership gains and multiple milestones across NBC and Peacock during the first week of coverage,” they added, “powered by a star‑studded postseason featuring stars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokić, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyana, Jalen Brunson and more.”
NBA Communications also shared the news of record viewership, stating on X, “The NBA is averaging its highest viewership in 26 years though the first ten games of the NBA Playoffs.”
So, the NBA playoffs are hotter than ever, and the Lakers and Rockets are at the center of it.
Lakers and Rockers Projections
In a Friday, April 24, feature, Jayesh Pagar of SI predicts that the “Rockets are coming back home knowing they have to win, and that changes everything tonight.”
He also believes that James will near a triple-decker on Friday. “”James has carried this team through both games without his two best backcourt players,” he states in the piece. “He put up 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in Game 2 and there is no reason to think he slows down on the road.”
Pagar adds that “playing in a loud Toyota Center, with Houston throwing everything at him, he tends to rise to exactly that kind of moment. A 25-point, near triple-double line on the road, without Doncic and Reaves, against a desperate team, that is as bold as it gets.”
In CBS Sports’ predictions, they state that James is “projected to lead the Lakers with 26.6 points scored, as five Lakers players will score 11 or more points. Durant leads the Rockets in the simulations with 27.5 points, with Alperen Sengun (21.4) and Amen Thompson (17.5) also contributing.” The teams are also predicted to combine for 219 total points.
Of course, projections were made to be broken. Even though the Lakers have an early lead in the series, it could go either way, so don’t expect James to take it easy on the Rockets.
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