The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 131-107 on the final day of the regular season, finishing the campaign with 53 wins and the fourth seed in the 2026 Western Conference Playoffs.
While they had a shot at securing the No. 3 seed, the Denver Nuggets’ win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening locked Denver into the third spot. Now, we know who the Lakers will face in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Breaking Down the Lakers’ First-Round Opponent: the Houston Rockets
The Lakers are entering the playoffs as the fourth seed and will face the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets. Had the Nuggets lost to San Antonio, Los Angeles would’ve faced the Minnesota Timberwolves in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed battle.
On paper, the Rockets matchup looks more manageable than Minnesota. The Lakers took the regular-season series against Houston 2-1, but that was obviously with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves healthy. Now, the Lakers are depleted, so they will be facing an uphill battle in the postseason.
Dončić suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2 and traveled to Spain for specialized treatment aimed at expediting his recovery. Reaves is out four-to-six weeks with a Grade 2 oblique strain, meaning he could miss the entire first round and potentially beyond.
That leaves LeBron James, at 41, to carry the offensive burden, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play us,” JJ Redick acknowledged on Friday. “Let’s get that out there. Everybody wants to play us.”
The Lakers are well aware that they’ll be underdogs against Houston.
If the series extends to six or seven games, Dončić could potentially return late in the first round. If the Lakers survive and advance, both stars may be available for the second round. Redick and Co. are trying to extend the season long enough for the cavalry to arrive.
Los Angeles converted two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. to a standard two-year contract on Sunday morning to make him playoff-eligible, giving them one more option in the postseason.
The front office had to decide between converting Smith or big man Drew Timme, who was dominant for the South Bay Lakers in the G League playoffs.
Lakers insider Jovan Buha noted on his podcast that Timme is “clearly the better player” but that Smith “fits more of the role of a ball handler, scorer guy who can get hot.” With the Lakers’ two best perimeter creators unavailable, perimeter creation won out. Redick confirmed as much on Sunday night, adding that there was plenty of debate internally about the decision.
In 29 games this season, Smith has averaged 6.0 points while shooting 40% from three in just over 12 minutes per contest. Whether Smith can provide meaningful minutes depends on how long Dončić and Reaves remain out. What’s clear is the Lakers aren’t banking on either being ready anytime soon.
