The Los Angeles Lakers enter the NBA Playoffs with home-court advantage for the second straight year, opening a first-round series against longtime LeBron James adversary Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles will start the postseason without its two top scorers, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, while Houston also arrives with roster concerns, leaving both clubs confident they can advance.
Although the franchises are not traditional rivals, their postseason ties reach back to 1981. Below is a look at every Lakers–Rockets playoff encounter.
2020 Western Conference Semifinals
Inside the Orlando bubble, Houston took Game 1 before Los Angeles captured four straight en route to the 2020 championship. LeBron James and Anthony Davis each averaged a double-double, and key contributions from Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso and Rajon Rondo sealed the 4-1 victory.
2009 Western Conference Semifinals
The Lakers needed seven games to eliminate a resilient Rockets squad. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol overcame Houston’s Game 1 road win, while Yao Ming’s Game 3 foot fracture forced the Rockets to lean on Aaron Brooks and Metta World Peace. Gasol’s 21 points and 18 rebounds in Game 7 decided the series, which also featured Derek Fisher’s notable shoulder check on Luis Scola.
2004 Western Conference First Round
The star-laden Lakers of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone and Gary Payton advanced in five games. O’Neal averaged 16.2 points, but Bryant paced the series, highlighted by 31 points and 10 assists in the Game 5 clincher.
1999 Western Conference First Round
During the lockout season, Los Angeles prevailed 3-1. Shaquille O’Neal averaged nearly 30 points, while veteran Glen Rice scored 29 in a one-point Game 1 win. The younger Lakers outlasted a Rockets lineup featuring Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon and Scottie Pippen.
1996 Western Conference First Round
Houston’s last playoff triumph over Los Angeles came in a 3-1 series that marked the final NBA games of Magic Johnson’s career. Johnson returned mid-season to join Eddie Jones, Cedric Ceballos and Nick Van Exel, but the group had no answer for Hakeem Olajuwon at his peak.
1991 Western Conference First Round
Magic Johnson and James Worthy led a 3-0 sweep, though two contests were decided by four points or fewer. Johnson scored 38 in Game 3, while Vlade Divac and Sam Perkins provided strong interior support against Olajuwon.
1990 Western Conference First Round
The Lakers took the series 3-1. Worthy posted 34 points in Game 1 and 32 in Game 2. After Houston stole Game 3, Los Angeles placed seven players in double figures to close out Game 4.
1986 Western Conference Finals
Favored to meet Boston in the Finals, the Lakers fell 4-1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 31 points and Magic Johnson’s 26-point, 18-assist effort secured Game 1, but Houston—powered by a young Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson—won the next four. Sampson’s buzzer-beating Game 5 jumper remains an iconic postseason moment.
1981 Western Conference First Round (Best-of-3)
In a battle of legendary centers, Moses Malone’s 38 points and 23 rebounds lifted Houston in Game 1. Abdul-Jabbar responded with 27 and 17 in Game 2, but Johnson shot 2-for-14 in Game 3 as the Rockets advanced to their first NBA Finals.
The upcoming series will add another chapter to a matchup that has already shaped multiple eras of NBA history.
Source: Lakers Nation
