Series Schedule is Released Ahead of Rockets-Lakers Postseason Opener on Saturday

Getting closer.

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles the ball as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The opening round of the 2026 NBA postseason is nearing. It's only a matter of days.

The play-in tournament is ongoing and hasn't finished yet, however, it's been highly entertaining. Especially the opening night, in which Houston Rockets fans were granted an opportunity to see Jalen Green play in yet another high stakes postseason game. 

Green capitalized on the opportunity to redeem himself from last year's postseason dud of a performance against the Golden State Warriors, dropping 35 points, albeit in a losing effort. Green even had 22 points in the first half. 

As for this iteration of the new-look Rockets, they'll be facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Quarterfinals round in the four seed versus five seed matchup. Both teams haven't taken the court since Sunday, which was the NBA's season finale for everyone across the league. 

The schedule of the series has been released. Well, somewhat. For the most part, as outlined below. 

Game one will be held on Saturday in Los Angeles, in the Lakers' Crypto.com Arena. Tip off will be at 7:30 PM central standard time. The game will be played on ABC, occupying the prime time slot and main draw of the night.

Game two will be played on Tuesday, April 21st, in Los Angeles, in the Crypto.com Arena once again. The game will tip off at 9:30 PM central standard time and the game will occupy the prime time slot once more, albeit on NBC and/or Peacock. 

Game three will be held on Friday, April 24th, albeit in Houston at the Toyota Center, which will be the first game of the series in Houston, per the league's 2-2-1-1-1 format. Tip off will be at 7:00 PM central standard time and the game will be held on Amazon Prime. 

Game four will also be played in Houston, at the Toyota Center, on Sunday, April 26th. Tip off is at 8:30 PM central standard time and the game will be televised on NBC and/or Peacock. 

The details for the rest of the series aren't fully confirmed, beyond Game four. However, it is known that Game five will be held on Wednesday, April 29th in the Lakers' Crypto.com Arena. Game six will be played on Friday, May 1st in Houston's Toyota Center, while Game seven will be played on Sunday, May 3rd, in the Lakers' Crypto.com Arena for the series finale, as they hold homecourt advantage, due to holding the higher seed in the Western Conference. 

The time and broadcast for games five through seven aren't known yet, because it's not yet known if those games will be needed and/or how many will be needed.