The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been accused of favoring the Los Angeles Lakers, the league’s second-most-valuable franchise, by gifting them a less challenging first-round playoff schedule than other teams.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that the Lakers vs. the Houston Rockets series will include two+ days of rest before Games 2, 3 and 5.
- Game 1: Rockets at Lakers – Saturday, April 18, 5:30 p.m. (ABC)
- Game 2: Rockets at Lakers – Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Game 3: Lakers at Rockets – Friday, April 24, 5:00 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Game 4: Lakers at Rockets – Sunday, April 26, 6:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Game 5 (if necessary): Rockets at Lakers – Wednesday, April 29 (TBD)
- Game 6 (if necessary): Lakers at Rockets – Friday, May 1 (TBD)
- Game 7 (if necessary): Rockets at Lakers – Sunday, May 3 (TBD)
While it’s typically the norm for a first-round series to be spread out over nearly two weeks, the Lakers are the only team in the West to receive such a favorable schedule. In comparison, the Denver Nuggets vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves series includes two+ days of rest before only Games 3 and 6, while the San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers series includes two+ days of rest before only Game 3.
Lakers Playoffs Schedule
To put things in perspective, the Spurs vs. Blazers series will start a day after the Lakers vs. Rockets series on April 19 and yet finish a day before on May 2.
Several NBA writers and fans highlighted the clearly favorable Lakers schedule.
“As expected, they’re giving the Kevin Durant-LeBron James face of the game series two days off before Games 2, 3, and 5,” The Athletic’s Law Murray wrote on X.
“The NBA drew that Lakers/Rockets series allllllllllllllll the way out,” The Athletic’s Tony James highlighted on X.
Lakers Could Get Doncic, AR Back
One Lakers fan was elated by the schedule, noting that the NBA clearly wants to help his team get Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves back before the series ends.
“The NBA just blessed the Lakers!!!” wrote a fan on X. “Huge gaps for game 1-4
“Will give Luka and Reaves 4 weeks on game 5 👀Let’s goooo.”
Elsewhere, a Rockets fan was convinced the schedule was designed to help the Lakers.
“It should not take over two weeks for a 7-game series to be played,” he wrote.
For what it’s worth, insider Mike Ortiz Jr. reported Tuesday that Doncic and Reaves are targeting a return for Game 3 on April 24, even though Lakers head coach JJ Redick has refused to provide a timeline for their returns, saying they’re “out indefinitely.”
When Doncic (grade 2 hamstring strain) and Reaves (grade 2 oblique injury) went down with their injuries on April 2, both guards were estimated to miss at least four weeks of action. Based on that timeline, neither would be ready before Game 6 or, at the latest, Game 7. That said, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Tuesday that there’s a chance Reaves could return before the end of the month.
Of course, all those projections go out the window if the Rockets jump out to a 3-0 lead, making a Doncic or Reaves return almost unnecessary. As such, the onus is on LeBron James and Co. to extend the series until the star guards can return.
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