The Los Angeles Lakers open the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT, hosting the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. With Luka Doncic (grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (grade 2 left oblique strain) sidelined indefinitely, Los Angeles will turn to LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and a group of role players to set the tone in Game 1.
Los Angeles finished the 2025-26 regular season with 53 wins, the sixth-best record in the league, and repeatedly excelled in clutch situations. Still, a 1.5 net rating placed only 14th, a figure Smart attributed to inconsistent starts. After practice this week, the veteran guard delivered a blunt message to his teammates.
“They’re going to try to come in here and punk us,” Smart said. “If we let that happen, that’s exactly what will happen. We may not be the most athletic or the strongest, but we have to play with the most heart.”
The warning recalls the teams’ Christmas Day meeting, when Houston controlled the game from the opening tip and routed the Lakers 119-96, jumping out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Los Angeles later answered with two road victories over the Rockets late in the season, results Smart cited as proof the Lakers can recover quickly after early setbacks.
Smart vs. Durant a key matchup
One spotlight duel will pit Smart, the Lakers’ top perimeter defender, against Rockets forward Kevin Durant. The 6-foot-4 Smart acknowledged the challenge posed by the two-time Finals MVP.
“It’s brutal,” he said. “He’s one of the greatest ever, moves like a guard in a big man’s body. It’s going to be tough on us, and we’re going to try to make it just as tough on him.”
Game 1 marks the first postseason meeting between the franchises since Houston’s conference-semifinal win in 2020. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. PT Saturday in Los Angeles.
Source: Lakers Nation
