Category: Basketball

PHOENIX — They did it once. They couldn’t do it twice.

A second double-digit deficit in as many play-in games proved to be enough to eliminate the Warriors, who scored the opening basket Friday night and never led again in a 111-96 season-ending loss to the Suns.

“Tonight we just didn’t have it,” coach Steve Kerr said “But the competitive desire was there.”

In a star-studded showdown for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference, it wasn’t Steph Curry or Devin Booker who took over.

Golden State had no answer for Jalen Green, who one-upped his 35-point performance in a play-in loss to the Blazers that required 29 shots with a surprisingly efficient 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting, including eight 3-pointers.

Curry was limited to 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting after he scored 35 — 27 in the second half — during Golden State’s comeback win against the Clippers. The Warriors struggled to pick up the slack, managing just 15 points in a first quarter that ended with them down by 18.

“This was as tough a season as you can have, with the injuries, with all kinds of adversity. And they battled. They battled the entire season. They kept going the other night to continue the season, to show that kind of fight,” Kerr said. “I’m proud of the group for finishing the season the right way, by continuing to fight and try to win every game.”

Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23 points and 10 rebounds but committed four of their 21 turnovers that the Suns turned into 30 points.

Draymond Green and Gary Payton II helped the Warriors contain Booker and Dillon Brooks well below their season averages — a combined 33 points — but they had no answer for Jalen Green.

Golden State’s Green and Booker were both ejected with the game out of hand late as players came chest-to-chest and multiple technical fouls were called.

What it means

Last year’s Heat remain the only No. 10 seed to advance from the bottom spot in the play-in to the playoffs. Golden State’s season is over.

The Warriors will have the 11th-best odds in the lottery, giving them a 9.4% chance at a top-four draft pick and 2% odds at the No. 1 overall selection.

Phoenix, which finished seventh in the West, will be the No. 8 seed in a first-round series against the defending champion Thunder that begins Sunday.

“You really have to give the credit to Phoenix. They punched us early,” Kerr said. “Aggressive defense, forcing a lot of turnovers. So we didn’t have it.”

Turning point

After falling behind 12-2 early in Inglewood, the Warriors found themselves in an even deeper early hole against the Suns. Unlike in Wednesday’s win, when they erased multiple double-digit deficits, they were never quite able to claw back from a 13-2 opening salvo from Phoenix.

The Suns widened their lead to 33-15 by the end of the first quarter. 

The Curry flurry that carried them over the Clippers never came. He came up with a steal late in the first half and set himself up for a transition 3 that cut the Suns’ lead to 43-36, then converted a pair of free throws to pull the Warriors within 47-45 in the final moments of the first half.

But that was as close as the Warriors would get. 

Golden State kept it close until Green hit his eighth 3-pointer with 7:58 to play. The shot extended the Suns’ lead to 90-78, and the Warriors wouldn’t cut it within single digits again.

MVP: Jalen Green

Green went to high school in the Warriors’ backyard and struck up an early relationship with Curry. He was one of the reasons Golden State upset the Rockets in the first round last year. This time, he almost single-handedly ended their season.

When Green hit his eighth and final 3-pointer midway through the fourth, it matched as many as the Warriors had connected on as a team to that point. Golden State finished with 11.

Stat of the game: 4-for-16

Curry had nothing left in the tank after his heroics two nights earlier.

He struggled to get involved early, taking fewer shots than seven players while they fell behind in the first quarter, and never found the touch once he forced the issue.

Curry’s 25% success rate from the field was the lowest of any player on either side who attempted more than three shots. He was also responsible for four of Golden State’s 21 turnovers.

His primary defender, Jordan Goodwin, came up with six steals.

Up next

The Warriors can turn their attention to next season and potentially one last ride with Curry. He has one more year on his contract, along with Green and Jimmy Butler. The biggest question the Warriors have to answer is whether Kerr will be back for a 13th season. He coached this past season on an expiring contract and has declined to address his future.

PHOENIX (AP) — Jalen Green scored 36 points, Devin Booker added 20 and the Phoenix Suns locked down Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, winning 111-96 in the NBA’s play-in tournament Friday night.

The Suns took the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Game 1. The Warriors’ season is over.

Green shot 14 of 20 from the field, including 8 of 14 on 3-pointers. Jordan Goodwin scored 19 points, had nine rebounds and was a menace on defense with six steals.

Booker and Golden State’s Draymond Green were both assessed two technical fouls late in the fourth quarter after exchanging words multiple times and were ejected.

The 38-year-old Curry couldn’t get many clean looks and finished with 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23 points.

Phoenix led by five at the break and built a 69-53 advantage with 5:12 left in third after a fast-break layup by Royce O’Neale. It was 85-72 with 10:12 remaining.

MAGIC 121, HORNETS 90

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 25 points and Orlando built a 35-point lead in the first half on the way to a rout of Charlotte in a play-in tournament game and advanced to a first-round playoff matchup against the Detroit Pistons.

The Magic earned the No. 8 seed in playoffs and will start their best-of-seven series at Detroit on Sunday.

LaMelo Ball scored 21 of his 23 points in the third quarter for Charlotte.

Banchero had 12 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 10 as the Hornets shot 5 for 20 with six turnovers in the first quarter and fell behind 38-16.

Ball was scoreless with two turnovers when he went to the bench with three fouls with 7:10 left in the first half. He did not score until Orlando’s lead had reached 35 points in the final seconds of the half.

The Magic were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two postseasons and have not won a playoff round since 2010.

The Hornets, who beat the Magic in their last three regular-season games, have not been in the playoffs since 2016.

The Phoenix Suns ended the Golden State Warriors season on Friday night, defeating the Dubs 111-96. The Suns victory secured the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and sets them up for a first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors, on the other hand, will begin their offseason. The loss will put the Warriors in the lottery, where they will have the 11th-best odds of winning a top-four pick.

For the second consecutive game, the Warriors got off to an ugly start and quickly gave up control of the game. The Suns jumped out to a 12-2 lead and continued taking advantage of nine turnovers by the Dubs in the quarter. Defensively, Phoenix successfully forced Golden State off the three-point line, as well.

At the end of the first quarter, the Warriors were trailing 33-15 and shooting just 6-for-20 from the field (1-for-9 from three). Steph Curry’s gravity helped the Dubs offense go on its first run to start the second quarter, cutting the lead to single digits on a 12-2 run. However, Suns guard Jalen Green caught fire to cut the momentum, a sign of things to come.

Golden State was finally able to cut the deficit to two points in the final minute of the first half, but Green answered with an incredibly difficult three to send the Suns into the half with a 50-45 lead. Phoenix had seemed to firmly control the game to that point, but was unable to pull away.

Neither team’s offensive nucleus (Devin Booker & Curry) found any rhythm in the first half, forcing both offenses into an ugly slog. Green had bailed Phoenix out while the Warriors had gotten the most on hustle plays and cuts from Brandin Podziemski.

The third quarter was more of the same. In fact, Curry looked hobbled, clearly in pain and barely running off ball. His gravity created some spacing for others, but the Dubs remained stagnant. Any momentum they built was killed by another offensive moment from Green, a turnover, or a whistle.

The game was far from over heading into the fourth, with Phoenix ahead just 78-69. But expecting the elderly (in NBA terms) Warriors — particularly a clearly compromised Steph — to withstand a similar beating and comeback was just asking too much.

Green single-handedly had an 8-0 run to give the Suns a 14-point lead with seven minutes left in regulation. Al Horford made a three and Curry drew a foul on a three-pointer of his own, but the last gasps of Golden State hope seemed to go out with about 5:30 left.

Podziemski caught a swing pass on the right wing and drove inside instead of hitting an open Steph in the corner. He turned the ball over and Booker knocked down a shot to push the Suns lead back up to 15.

Jalen Green was the difference in the game. He was the only offensive player on either team that was able to consistently score all game. He recorded 36 points on 14-for-20 shooting from the field (8-for-14 from three) alongside 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

Booker finished with a game-best +25 plus/minus despite being relatively quiet offensively. He scored 20 points and added 8 assists and 6 rebounds with just 1 turnover.

Curry could ultimately not find his magic for a second game in a row. Instead, he finished with 16 points on an ugly 4-for-16 shooting from the field (3-for-10 from three) with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers.

Podziemski was the Warriors most consistent performer on the night, leading the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds. It was far from a perfect outing, highlighted by his 5 turnovers, but it was commendable given he played 40 minutes for the second consecutive game (after playing all 82 games in the regular season). De’Anthony Melton had a solid all-around game, and scored 16 points that kept the Suns from pulling away when Curry went to the bench in the third quarter. Still, it was far from enough to match Green.

There’s a reason the Warriors were so celebratory after defeating the Clippers on Wednesday. They knew this season would not be lasting much longer. Sure, they hoped they could do it again, but they ran out of gas.

Now all attention goes to the offseason for Dub Nation. Will general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. build a legitimate contender? We’ll see.

Doc Rivers has an NBA Finals win and a Coach of the Year honor on his ledger and is set to join the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

But that sounds like it’ll be where his resume will end as a professional basketball coach.

Rivers, who stepped down from the Bucks after an ugly 32-50 season, told The Ringer founder Bill Simmons on Friday that he is “done” as an NBA coach.

“We met about seven weeks ago, me and ownership. We had a great meeting,” Rivers said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”

“They asked me what I wanted to do. One of the owners says one plan is, ‘If we do this, you can hang in there for a year or two.’ I literally said, ‘Oh, no, no, no.’ “I told my coaches, I’m done. I loved coaching. Loved it. I had a lot of success at it, had way more ups than downs. But at the end of the day, I’ve given 47 years or whatever, I don’t even know how old I am … with no off time. I just wanted a break. I want to get away. The grandkids and just life in general, man.

“Right now, I can tell you, Bill, I think it was time, so I’d be surprised if I coached another game, I’ll put it that way.”

The 2025-26 season, his second full campaign with Milwaukee, turned into a disaster thanks to injury and constant trade rumors surrounding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was limited to 36 games.

The losing record marked Rivers’ first full losing season since 2006-07 with the Celtics.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that there was a “disconnect” between Rivers and the players this season in a length expose on what went wrong with the Bucks this year.

Rivers later called out the story to say it was “so inaccurate that I don’t even have enough time to go into it.”

It remains clear what is next for Rivers. He previously worked as an analyst on ESPN’s top announce team before leaving in January 2024 to join the Bucks’ sideline.

This is a lose-lose series for the Houston Rockets.

If the Rockets win the series, then the narrative will be that the Los Angeles Lakers were hurt and of course the Rockets won. If Houston loses the series, they were frauds all along and will need to make wholesale changes this summer to retool around Kevin Durant.

Remember, expectations cost people their jobs. And the expectation for Houston is to win this series handily if Luka Doncic doesn’t make an appearance.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are cruising and playing with house money. LeBron James isn’t expected to carry this team far by himself, so just winning a couple of games would be gravy. They can play with no fear and ride the vibes.

The Lakers are not just LeBron and some scrubs. There’s former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, “Not Clint Capela” Deandre Ayton, Gonzaga standouts Rui Hachimura and Drew Timme, sharpshooter Luke Kennard, defensive stalwart Jarred Vanderbilt, and a really good Jake LaRavia.

This is not going to be an easy series. Don’t expect it to be.

Tip-off

5:30pm CT

How To Watch

ABC

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Kevin Durant: questionable

Lakers

Luka Doncic: OUT

Austin Reaves: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

Hou -5.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Game 2 on Tuesday in Los Angeles

Hack-A-Mitch is probably coming and Mike Brown said he’s prepared.

“We’ve talked about it. We have different things in mind that we’ll do,” the Knicks coach said. “A lot of them will come down to time and score and feel. But we understand that’s what teams may want to do, especially if our offense is clicking at that point in time.”

Fouling Mitchell Robinson on purpose was deployed regularly in last year’s playoffs, with Detroit’s JB Bickerstaff and Boston’s Joe Mazzulla taking it to higher levels to stall the Knicks’ offense. Robinson launched 56 free throws in 18 playoff games — which was more than triple his rate of the regular season.

Robinson also connected on just 39 percent of those attempts, which made him a liability and took him off the court in pivotal moments.

Brown’s answer Friday suggests that subbing out Robinson during “Hack-A-Mitch” will be dependent on several factors.

Against the Hawks, Robinson’s availability is especially important because of the advantage he provides the Knicks. Nobody in Atlanta’s rotation can match his size or rebounding.

“Mitchell Robinson is the key for [the Knicks] off the bench, whatever they do,” Charles Oakley, the Knicks legend, said on “The Bottom Line Sports Show.” “He needs to average 25 minutes, 27 minutes, from the first playoff game until the last one because with the offensive rebounds, nobody can block him out.

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“He’s like a Moses Malone. He gives them second shots. And that’s how the Bulls won championships, with Dennis Rodman getting offensive rebounds, throwing it back out, [John] Paxson or somebody else hitting open 3s. You get an extra three 3s in a game, that’s big.”

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The Knicks are still getting their playoff scouting reports and playbooks. But there is a difference in how they’re delivered between Tom Thibodeau and Brown.

“It’s a lot more digital, I’d say,” Miles McBride said.

Thibodeau, who was fired by the Knicks after five seasons (and four postseason appearances), famously handed out thick physical playbooks to his players for every playoff round.

Mikal Bridges didn’t get into the differences in playoff preparation between Brown and Thibodeau.

“I think they both prepare great,” Bridges said. “That’s what I take from it.”

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Orlando Magic found their winning formula. Desperation works.

Works wonders, actually.

Facing elimination and clearly wanting no part of it, the Magic might have put together one of their best performances of the season Friday night. They rolled past the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in an Eastern Conference play-in game, moving into the playoffs for the third straight season and getting a matchup with top-seeded Detroit as their reward.

“When you play with a sense of desperation and urgency, when you know you’re either going home or extending your season, that’s what it looks like,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “There (are) no second chances.”

Mosley is the first coach to lead the Magic to three consecutive playoff appearances since Stan Van Gundy took Orlando there in five straight years. Van Gundy was at Friday's game as an analyst for Amazon Prime Video.

“I've got to be honest. Charlotte is shrinking from the competition,” Van Gundy said on the broadcast, as the Magic were running away in the second quarter — building what became a 35-point lead shortly before halftime. “They look like they don't want any part of this.”

That's exactly how Orlando wanted it. It was bully ball, and it worked.

“We’re going to need more of that in the playoffs,” Magic forward Franz Wagner said.

Added Magic forward Paolo Banchero: “We were just relentless with that tonight. ... It was just a complete effort from the whole team.”

Charlotte coach Charles Lee, who has engineered quite a turnaround over his first two seasons with the Hornets, said he hopes his team doesn't forget the lessons that Orlando taught them in this one.

“I hope that this fuels us this offseason, because we’ve done a ton of really good things and gave ourselves an opportunity,” Lee said. “You’re one step away from being in the playoffs. I don’t want to discredit that. But this has got to hurt a little bit.”

Orlando dealt with injuries all season, and going 2-8 in a 10-game stretch late in the regular season could have absolutely sunk any postseason hopes. But the Magic — even with a loss in Wednesday's play-in opener at Philadelphia — have now won six of their last eight, heading into a no-pressure matchup against heavily favored Detroit.

“We did what we were supposed to do,” Mosley said. “There’s a reason we can be happy tonight. But at the end of the day, we still have more work to do.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Miles McBride and Landry Shamet share so much in common. 

They are two of the Knicks’ three most important bench players, with Mitchell Robinson being the other. They are two of the Knicks’ best 3-point shooters and point-of-attack defenders.

Both, though it’s not their natural position, can handle point-guard duties when needed. 

And each had similar struggles down the stretch of the regular season. 

They endured shooting slumps from 3-point range.

Shamet, from the start of March to the end of the season, shot just 30.4 percent from deep in 16 games. He also missed five games due to a knee injury.

McBride, after missing 28 games for sports hernia surgery, shot 35.7 percent from deep in the six games he played after returning. He was 6-for-21 before going 4-for-7 in the regular-season finale. That was well below their season-long marks — McBride finished at 41.3 percent and Shamet at 39.2 percent. 

“It’s just a matter of them getting into the flow,” coach Mike Brown said after practice Friday. “Their last games, they shot better than what they had been doing, so we want them to let it fly because we whole-heartedly believe in them as shooters, just like they believe in themselves.”

Both have the potential to provide the Knicks an edge over the Hawks in bench production. But if their struggles bleed into the postseason, it could certainly be to the Hawks’ advantage. 

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McBride in particular is out for a bit of redemption.

He struggled in the conference finals last year, as the Knicks were eliminated by the Pacers in six games — he went just 5-for-16 (31.3 percent) from 3-point range in the series.

Shamet, after barely being used in the first two rounds, actually had a strong conference finals, shooting 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from deep in the series. 

“This is my fourth year [in the playoffs],” McBride said Friday, “but this feels like it’s time to get it done and finish it out the right way.

“I’d say any year you don’t win a championship, you should have an ambitious summer to finish off one of these seasons right with a championship. For me, it’s any year we didn’t win it, I’m thinking, I’m pulling from my second year, my third year — I want to win a championship. Not just selfishly, but for this city, for the guys I fight with, the staff that’s helped us all year and the people behind the scenes.”

McBride and Shamet have been so important to the Knicks’ success this year. They need those versions to reemerge.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Paolo Banchero scored 25 points and the Orlando Magic rolled to a 35-point first-half lead, taking full control on the way to a 121-90 rout of Charlotte Hornets in a play-in tournament elimination game on Friday night.

The Magic earned the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Their reward is a matchup with top-seeded Detroit, a best-of-seven that begins Sunday on the Pistons’ home floor.

The Magic were physical from the outset, and the Hornets were never in the game. Franz Wagner had 18 points for the Magic, along with seven rebounds and six assists.

Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting, while Desmond Bane scored 13 and Jalen Suggs added 12 for the Magic.

Orlando led by 31 at halftime, the biggest midpoint lead in the play-in tournament’s seven-year history. It has been utilized in this format — four teams qualifying from each conference, playing to decide the final two playoff spots on each half of the bracket — since 2021.

LaMelo Ball — who the NBA said should have been ejected from Tuesday’s season-extending win over Miami for an uncalled flagrant foul against Bam Adebayo — led the Hornets with 23 points, 21 of them coming in the third quarter.

But the game was long decided at that point. Orlando raced out to a 27-10 lead, stretched it to 68-33 late in the first half, and the Hornets never even got within 20 points the rest of the way.

Miles Bridges, who has played more games than any other active player without a playoff appearance, scored 15 for the Hornets. Brandon Miller scored 14 and Kon Knueppel added 11.

The Hornets, who have now missed the playoffs in 10 straight seasons, were outrebounded 49-34 and shot only 34%. Orlando shot 50%.

The Magic were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two postseasons and have not won a playoff round since 2010. But they went 2-2 against the Pistons this season.

The Hornets, who beat the Magic in their last three regular-season games, have not been in the playoffs since 2016. It’s the longest active drought in the NBA.

The wait is finally over. Playoff basketball is here, and it begins with a first-round matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.

This season has been defined by injury for the Cavs. It started with Darius Garland and Max Strus missing the beginning of the season. Injury concerns for Garland partially led to them trading him for veteran guard James Harden. And injuries have made it difficult for us to get an idea of what this team looks like when they’re fully healthy.

Fortunately for the Cavs, they’re heading into the postseason as healthy as they’ve been all year. For the first time all season, they will have their entire rotation available to them. It only took until game 83 for that to happen.

The Raptors had the Cavs’ number during the regular season. They beat them all three matchups by simply outhustling them in transition and hitting tough mid-range jumpers. All three games came before December, when the Cavs were a much different team than they are now. Saturday afternoon will give us a much better idea of how these teams match up.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: Sat., April 18 at 1 PM

TV: Prime Video

Point spread: Cavs -8

Cavs injury report: Thomas Bryant – OUT (calf)

Raptors injury report: Immanuel Quickley – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Raptors expected starting lineup: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

Previous matchup: The Raptors swept the three-game seaosn series.

Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	118.9 (8th)	115 (15th)	+3.9 (9th)
Raptors	116.8 (13th)	113.2 (7th)	+3.6 (11th)

Draymond Green left Kawhi Leonard feeling sick after the fourth quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ 126-121 win Wednesday night. It might have been more than just his stifling defense.

While Steph Curry was throwing in 30-footers, Green was throwing up from an illness. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, always a poetic artist with the English language, the former Defensive Player of the Year was “puking all over the place.” Charania weirdly specified that it was on the sidelines and back near the locker room, meaning Green truly left it all out on the floor at the Intuit Dome.

Shams:

"Team sources told me Draymond Green was sick, he was throwing up, puking all over the place in pregame, sideline in the back area by the locker room" pic.twitter.com/t0rAIeViH6

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 16, 2026

The illness might have affect Green early. Though he played 17 first-half minutes and shot 2-for-3, he had a plus/minus of -8 with two turnovers, along with his four assists. Leonard scored 14 points, dished three assists, and didn’t commit a single turnover.

But things changed in the second half, and decidedly so in the fourth quarter. Leonard may have been distracted by the vomit all around him, or afraid of Green’s breath, which had to be terrible. He had as many points as turnovers in the final 12 minutes — two — and while he didn’t blow chunks, The Claw just plain blew.

Green was healthy enough to record a new episode of his podcast, which to this writer means he has a clear bill of health. At the very least, he hadn’t noticeably vomited on his microphone, though we won’t rule out Charania reporting that Green was fighting diarrhea throughout out the production, according to an unnamed source close to Audacy’s production team.

He should be rested and full of fluids for Friday’s big game against the Phoenix Suns, in which he’ll repeatedly sneeze on Dillon Brooks.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets

When: 5:30 p.m. PT, Apr. 18

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: ABC

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After months of grinding through the rigorous challenge that is the NBA regular season, the playoffs have arrived and the state of the Lakers has been more uncertain than ever.

With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves officially ruled out for at least the beginning of the postseason, the Lakers are officially starting the best-of-seven series against the Houston Rockets with an incomplete roster.

That’s unfortunately art of the game and now LA will be in survival mode at least for Game 1. Before we preview that, let’s quickly recap how these teams performed during the regular season.

The overview

The Lakers started the season pretty well by winning eight out of their first 10 games. They had their best month in March, when they won 15 out of 17 games. Additionally, they’ve had a top 10 offense throughout the season, led by this year’s scoring champion in Dončić, who averaged 33.5 points per game.

Similar to LA, Houston started the season winning eight out of their first 10 games.

What stood out right off the bat was their defense, which was consistently top 10 throughout the season. That’s not a surprise given their overall size and athleticism, and on top of that, they got a really productive and healthy season from Kevin Durant, who led the team in scoring with 26 points per game.

They also dealt with a few slumps during the season but managed to consistently win games to finish in fifth place.

These teams met three times in the regular season, and the Lakers won the series 2-1. The purple and gold won twice on Houston’s home floor during their superb run in March, while the latter nabbed the victory on Christmas Day.

The matchup

Considering the Lakers will be without two of their best players, the Rockets are massive favorites in this one.

There’s just no way Los Angeles can fill in the void that Dončić and Reaves left. We saw how they looked without them at the end of the season and it wasn’t the prettiest sight. The Lakers have no choice but to depend on 41-year-old LeBron James to carry the team.

This means the role players will need to step up now more than ever. Luke Kennard will take on more ball-handling duties, Jake LaRavia has to be an elite defender and Rui Hachimura has to knock down his open looks.

This group can play with enough energy and focus, but the question is whether they have the talent to keep up with the Rockets.

Fans should expect the Rockets to double down on how they’ve tried to beat the Lakers this season, which is by owning the paint.

In their three games this year, Houston has won the rebounding battle, which is why it’s not a coincidence that JJ Redick said that rebounds will be one of the biggest keys in this series.

The Rockets also ranked second in the league in paint touches this season, which is why they don’t take many 3-pointers. Look for Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and co. to keep attacking inside.

The Lakers’ chances

It’s easy to chalk Game 1 or even this entire series already as a sure loss for the Lakers, like most NBA reporters have already done. But that’s not doing the team justice, especially after what they’ve accomplished this year.

Let’s see if the Lakers can shock the world in Game 1 on Saturday.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) are out.
• As for the Rockets, Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) and Fred VanVleet (ACL surgery) are out.
• Meanwhile, Kevin Durant (right knee contusion) is questionable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.