How to Stream Lakers vs. Rockets Live With Sling TV
How to watch the Lakers vs. Rockets First Round series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs with Sling, plus full live stream schedule, preview, and more.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers take on Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in the First Round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, a series that many NBA fans consider the best of the opening round. Games on ESPN, NBC, and ABC will be available to stream live with Sling. Here’s everything you need to know.
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Lakers vs. Rockets First Round Schedule: Dates, Times, and Channels
Here’s a look at the complete First Round schedule between Los Angeles and Houston:
#4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #5 Houston Rockets
- Game 1: Houston at Los Angeles – Saturday, April 18 (8:30 ET, ABC)
- Game 2: Houston at Los Angeles – Tuesday, April 21 (10:30 ET, NBC)
- Game 3: Los Angeles at Houston – Friday, April 24 (8 ET, Prime Video)*
- Game 4: Los Angeles at Houston – Sunday, April 26 (9:30 ET, NBC)
- Game 5: Houston at Los Angeles – Wednesday, April 29 (If necessary)
- Game 6: Los Angeles at Houston – Friday, May 1 (If necessary)
- Game 7: Houston at Los Angeles – Sunday, May 3 (If necessary)
*Not available with Sling
How to Watch Los Angeles vs. Houston with Sling
The first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs will be shared between the NBA’s 2026 broadcast partners: ABC, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN, NBC, and Peacock. (Note: Prime Video and Peacock games require a separate subscription).
- Any game on ESPN is on Sling. Watch with Sling Essentials (our new plan for ESPN & more at the lowest price on the market), Sling Orange, or Sling Orange + Blue. You can also watch with a 1, 3, or 7 Day Pass subscription.
- Games on NBC and/or ABC will be available with Sling Select or Sling Blue in the markets listed below:
- If you live in any of these areas, Sling Essentials & Select will get you games on NBC and/or ABC, plus ESPN games.
- ATTENTION LAKERS FANS in Los Angeles: Watch all of the 2026 NBA Playoff games available with Sling, including the NBA Finals, by subscribing to Sling Essentials & Select.
- Games on Amazon Prime or Peacock require a separate subscription.
Subscribe to Sling Essentials + Select using the link below!
Los Angeles vs. Houston Series Preview: Things to Watch
https://youtu.be/rNhoPJVEHag?si=UosiCnuqzOrfOgFW
Throughout their storied careers, LeBron James and Kevin Durant have earned enough hardware for their own wing in the Basketball Hall of Fame: A combined 6 Championships, 5 Regular Season MVPs, 22+ All-Star appearances, and 29+ All-NBA Team selections. While James has far more of those accolades than Durant, KD actually holds the edge in head-to-head playoff clashes, a 9-5 record in 14 previous games.
The chance to see two of the greatest players in league history face-off for perhaps the final time in the playoffs is just one of the compelling storylines running through this series. The single biggest question mark hanging over this series—and perhaps the entire Western Conference playoffs—is the health of Luka Dončić. After leading the league with 33.5 points per game and looking like a prime MVP candidate , Dončić has been sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. If Luka returns early in the series, the Lakers are a threat to make a deep run. If he's out or significantly hampered, Houston's path to the second round becomes much clearer.
For the Rockets, the key player may be Alperen Sengun, who averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists this season. Sengun is a dominant force in the paint, averaging 14.0 points per game in that area. Sengun should be able to exploit the Lakers’ biggest weakness, as centers Deandre Ayton and Jaxon Hayes have been little more than stopgaps at a position in need of a serious upgrade.
Nonetheless, the Lakers can be extremely dangerous when healthy. While Austin Reaves may not return from his left oblique strain until the second round, Dončić’s return would completely flip the dynamic of this series. But if he’s not able to go, it’s difficult to see how the Lakers can advance, especially if the series goes to six or seven games.
Series Odds and Prediction
https://youtu.be/kxs6oRejTg4?si=CtumVOPxvw5FS-m4
Heading into the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, DraftKings Sportsbook has set the betting lines with a surprising twist: the 5-seed Houston Rockets are massive favorites over the 4-seed Los Angeles Lakers. Currently, the Rockets sit at -600 on the series moneyline, meaning a bettor must wager $600 just to yield a $100 profit. Conversely, the underdog Lakers are priced at +425. There’s no mystery as to why: blame the injuries to Lakers stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. For those looking at the series spread, the Rockets are favored at -2.5 games (+100). In spread betting, this means Houston must win the series by more than 2.5 games—essentially sweeping or winning 4-1—to cover the bet, while the Lakers at +2.5 (-120) simply need to push the matchup to at least six games.
In terms of the total games played in the series, DraftKings has set the Over/Under at 5.5 games. Both the Over and the Under are currently priced around -115, suggesting oddsmakers are relatively split on whether the short-handed Lakers can steal enough games to push the series to a Game 6. For this bet, the actual series victor is irrelevant; the total number of games is all that matters.
Prediction: Rockets in six.
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