Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets
· West 1st Round - Game 3Lakers take 2-0 lead into game 3 against the Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (52-30, fifth in the Western Conference)
Houston; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Rockets -9.5; over/under is 205.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Lakers lead series 2-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers visit the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference first round with a 2-0 lead in the series. The Lakers won the last matchup 101-94 on Wednesday, led by 28 points from LeBron James. Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 23.
The Rockets have gone 29-23 against Western Conference opponents. Houston is 23-8 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 14.4 turnovers per game.
The Lakers are 33-19 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is 8-3 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Rockets are shooting 47.9% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points lower than the 48.3% the Lakers allow to opponents. The Lakers are shooting 50.2% from the field, 4.2% higher than the 46.0% the Rockets' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Durant is scoring 26.0 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Rockets. Amen Thompson is averaging 18.9 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 59.5% over the past 10 games.
James is averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 7-3, averaging 117.5 points, 46.1 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 8.0 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.1 points per game.
Lakers: 7-3, averaging 111.7 points, 39.9 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 9.8 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 52.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.5 points.
INJURIES
: Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).Lakers: Austin Reaves: out (oblique), Jake LaRavia: day to day (leg), Luka Doncic: out (hamstring).
Regular Season Series
LAL win series 2-1
Matchup Prediction
Statistics
 LAL |
 HOU |
|
|---|---|---|
| W2 | Streak | L2 |
| 96.0 | Points Against | 104.0 |
| 1-0 | Last Ten Games | 0-1 |
| 116.3 | Points Per Game | 115.2 |
| 50 | Field Goal % | 48 |
| 36 | Three Point % | 36 |
| 41.0 | Rebounds Per Game | 48.1 |
| 25.9 | Assists Per Game | 25.4 |
| 4.3 | Blocks Per Game | 5.8 |
| 8.5 | Steals Per Game | 8.5 |
| 0.7 | Team Turnovers Per Game | 1.0 |
| 14.5 | Total Turnovers Per Game | 15.4 |
Houston Rockets Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Durant, F | Day-To-Day | Apr 23 |
| Steven Adams, C | Out | Jan 28 |
| Fred VanVleet, G | Out | Sep 22 |
Los Angeles Lakers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Reaves, G | Out | Apr 23 |
| Luka Doncic, G | Out | Apr 21 |
UTAH
PHI
MINGame Information
Location: Houston, TX
Capacity:
2025-26 Pacific Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 LA Lakers |
53 | 29 | .646 | - | W3 |
 Phoenix |
45 | 37 | .549 | 8 | W1 |
 LA Clippers |
42 | 40 | .512 | 11 | W1 |
 Golden State |
37 | 45 | .451 | 16 | L3 |
 Sacramento |
22 | 60 | .268 | 31 | L1 |
2025-26 Southwest Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 San Antonio |
62 | 20 | .756 | - | L1 |
 Houston |
52 | 30 | .634 | 10 | W1 |
 New Orleans |
26 | 56 | .317 | 36 | L2 |
 Dallas |
26 | 56 | .317 | 36 | W1 |
 Memphis |
25 | 57 | .305 | 37 | L8 |
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