Rockets vs. Lakers: Can LeBron James shoulder the load if Luka Dončić

The Western Conference’s fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will take on the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. The two franchises haven’t faced each other in the postseason since 2020, when LeBron James’ Lakers dismantled James Harden’s Rockets en route to the championship.

What we know about the Lakers

The Lakers outperformed expectations all season, despite a porous defense (115.5 points allowed per 100 possessions) and a net rating (+1.5) that belied their standing. They were the NBA’s best team in the clutch, compiling a 22-8 record and a massive net rating (+26) whenever scores were within five points in the game’s final five minutes.

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Credit Luka Dončić, an offensive supernova. He led the league in usage rate (38.1%) as well as field-goal attempts (22.8), 3-point attempts (10.8) and free-throw attempts (10.1) per game. He had the ball in his hands a lot, which is usually a good thing, since he led the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals with a roster constructed for him.

These Lakers were originally built for LeBron James, before Dončić fell into their lap last season. It took the majority of this season for second-year head coach JJ Redick to sort out their dynamic, but once he did — leaning heavier into Dončić’s usage, slotting Austin Reaves in as a secondary playmaker and shifting James to arguably the league’s best third option — the Lakers took off, posting a 15-2 record for March.

Then, in an embarrassing loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2, the Lakers lost both Dončić (hamstring) and Reaves (oblique) to injury. The status of both for their first-round series remains in serious doubt, as Dončić is reportedly slated to be reevaluated this week, potentially thrusting a 41-year-old James back into a lead role.

What we know about the Rockets

If it has felt all year like the Rockets are missing something, it is because they are. Houston lost point guard Fred VanVleet…