Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets
· West 1st Round - Game 4James and the Lakers look to clinch series against Houston
Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (52-30, fifth in the Western Conference)
Houston; Sunday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Rockets -5.5; over/under is 207
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Lakers lead series 3-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers look to clinch the series over the Houston Rockets in game four of the Western Conference first round. The Lakers defeated the Rockets 112-108 in overtime in the last matchup on Saturday. LeBron James led the Lakers with 29 points, and Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 33.
The Rockets are 29-23 in Western Conference games. Houston leads the Western Conference in rebounding, averaging 48.1 boards. Sengun leads the Rockets with 8.9 rebounds.
The Lakers are 33-19 in Western Conference play. Los Angeles has an 8-3 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Rockets score 115.2 points per game, 0.6 more points than the 114.6 the Lakers allow. The Lakers score 6.3 more points per game (116.3) than the Rockets allow their opponents to score (110.0).
TOP PERFORMERS: Sengun is averaging 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists for the Rockets. Amen Thompson is averaging 19.8 points over the last 10 games.
Deandre Ayton is scoring 12.5 points per game and averaging 8.0 rebounds for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 117.2 points, 47.2 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 8.9 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.9 points per game.
Lakers: 7-3, averaging 110.9 points, 39.6 rebounds, 28.7 assists, 10.3 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 51.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.2 points.
INJURIES
: Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle), Kevin Durant: day to day (ankle).Lakers: Austin Reaves: day to day (oblique), Luka Doncic: out (hamstring).
Regular Season Series
LAL win series 2-1
Matchup Prediction
Statistics
 LAL |
 HOU |
|
|---|---|---|
| W3 | Streak | L3 |
| 100.0 | Points Against | 106.7 |
| 3-0 | Last Ten Games | 0-3 |
| 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 25 |
| 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 25 |
| Luka Doncic, G | Out | Apr 21 |
Lakers Last 5
| Date | OPP | Result |
|---|---|---|
vs  PHX |
W 101-73 | |
vs  UTAH |
W 131-107 | |
vs  HOU |
W 107-98 | |
| vs HOU |
W 101-94 | |
| @ HOU |
W 112-108 OT |
Rockets Last 5
| Date | OPP | Result |
|---|---|---|
vs  MIN |
L 136-132 | |
vs  MEM |
W 132-101 | |
@  LAL |
L 107-98 | |
| @ LAL |
L 101-94 | |
| vs LAL |
L 112-108 OT |
Game 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 |
NBA News
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Magic take 2-1 lead into game 4 against the Pistons
Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (45-37, eighth in the Eastern Conference)
Randle and the Timberwolves look to clinch series against Denver
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (54-28, third in the Western Conference)
McDaniels, Jokic clash at end of Timberwolves' Game 4 win
Jaden McDaniels' late layup in Minnesota's 112-96 Game 4 home victory over Denver incited a skirmish with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Saturday night, a scrum that led to ejections on a night when the Timberwolves secured a 3-1 series lead.