The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to do battle with the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs.
This isn’t an ordinary No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed playoff matchup. There are numerous intriguing storylines, but mostly out of the Lakers side.
The outlook on Los Angeles’ season changed dramatically in early April. Stars Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) incurred a pair of same-day Grade 2 strains.
What were the odds.
The dream expectation fizzled but not entirely erased. L.A. will jump ball Saturday at Crypto.com Arena without Doncic and Reaves in the lineup, but not all hope is lost looking ahead in the series.
For the Lakers to even begin thinking about Doncic or Reaves coming back, they’ll need to win a game or two. After all, the longer the series goes on, the more days go by.
And better the chances at least one of L.A.’s leading scorers will be back in uniform.
Los Angeles Lakers Not Letting Go of Hope as Playoffs Near
Right now, Los Angeles is reaping the benefits of some much needed rest.
By the time the official tosses the ball in the air at midcourt Saturday night, the Lakers will have had nearly an entire week off. That’s a crucial step in the right direction for these injury-ravaged Lakers. They aren’t exactly on the younger side, either. And they’re now being captained by the timeless wonder himself, LeBron James, the 41-year-old on a mission to remind the world he’s more than a vain shelf item.
A major positive for L.A. is starting the playoffs in front of their home fans.
They’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks — maybe even more than the organization itself. They’ll vent their cantankerous attitude toward the Rockets and rally in front of their Lakers with a freshly fueled emotional spirit.
And if they can channel that noise into helping their team pull off an improbable victory or two to extend the series, things can change fast.
According to Lakers insider Dave McMenamin, there is hope either Doncic or Reaves could return from injury if the first round series goes on long enough.
“They will open their first-round series as the Western Conference’s No. 4 seed, hosting the No. 5-seeded Houston Rockets in Game 1 on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC),” McMenamin wrote on ESPN.com. “And as they prepare for it, sources told ESPN they have no expectation of having either Doncic or Reaves back at any point in the first round. But they also have not completely ruled out the possibility of one or both of them becoming available the longer the series lasts.”
Lakers Key in on Points of Emphasis in Series vs Rockets
To work toward the goal of getting either Doncic or Reaves back, Los Angeles will need to craft a unique approach. This week, head coach JJ Redick began zeroing in on his team’s gameplan against the Rockets, and it starts with crashing the glass on defense.
“JJ Redick said as the Lakers started to dissect the Rockets’ personnel with the team today, they shared that Houston has eight “crashers” in their rotation,” wrote Jovan Buha, a Lakers insider, in an X post. “Defensive rebounding continues to be the biggest point of emphasis for LA through the first couple of days of practice.”
They often say “no rebounds, no rings,” but for the Lakers, it may as well be “no rebounds, no Doncic” (or Reaves).
Houston is one of the top rebounding teams in the Association, so taking away perhaps their greatest strength would bode well for Los Angeles.
Preventing extra possessions often goes a long way in contributing to wins. Already short on offense, the Lakers cannot afford to give the Rockets more opportunities to score points.
L.A. could see both, one or neither of its stars return in the first round. But it can at least crack open the door to that opportunity by controlling the controllables.
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