Schedule and 2025-26 Results
Regular Season Records: Los Angeles Lakers 53-29, Houston 52-30
Game 1 on Saturday, 18 April: Houston loses at Los Angeles Lakers, 107-pts-98
Game 2 on Tuesday, 21 April: Houston loses at Los Angeles Lakers, 101-pts-94
Game 3 on Friday, 24 April: Los Angeles Lakers win at Houston, 112-pts-108(OT)
Game 4 on Sunday, 26 April: Los Angeles Lakers lose at Houston, 115-pts-96
Game 5 on Wednesday, 29 April: Houston at Los Angeles Lakers
Game 6* on Friday, 01 May: Los Angeles Lakers at Houston
Game 7* on Sunday, 03 May: Houston at Los Angeles Lakers
* if needed

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading 3-games-1:
Ignoring win order; ignoring site order: The team leading 3-games-1 irrespective of site order (Lakers) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2025 MLB Finals:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 691-59 (.921)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 206-26 (.888)
series record, NBA only, all rounds: 285-13 (.956)
series record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 87-3 (.967)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 425-325 (.567)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 125-107 (.539)
Game 5 record, NBA only, all rounds: 179-119 (.601)
Game 5 record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 56-34 (.622)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1616 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2025 MLB Finals. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading 3-games-1 @ HHVV:
Ignoring win order; considering site order: The team leading 3-games-1 with site order HHVV (Lakers) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2025 MLB Finals:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 443-27 (.943)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 143-12 (.923)
series record, NBA only, all rounds: 188-3 (.984)
series record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 62-0 (1.000)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 307-163 (.653)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 100-55 (.645)
Game 5 record, NBA only, all rounds: 143-48 (.749)
Game 5 record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 50-12 (.806)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1616 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2025 MLB Finals. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading WWWL:
Considering win order; ignoring site order: The team leading WWWL irrespective of site order (Lakers) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2025 MLB Finals:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 150-5 (.968)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 46-1 (.979)
series record, NBA only, all rounds: 62-0 (1.000)
series record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 19-0 (1.000)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 110-45 (.710)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 34-13 (.723)
Game 5 record, NBA only, all rounds: 47-15 (.758)
Game 5 record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 14-5 (.737)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1616 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2025 MLB Finals. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading WWWL @ HHVV:
Considering win order; considering site order: The team leading WWWL with site order HHVV (Lakers) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2025 MLB Finals:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 116-4 (.967)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 40-1 (.976)
series record, NBA only, all rounds: 52-0 (1.000)
series record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 19-0 (1.000)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 87-33 (.725)
Game 5 record, all best-of-7 sports, Preliminary round: 29-12 (.707)
Game 5 record, NBA only, all rounds: 40-12 (.769)
Game 5 record, NBA only, Preliminary round: 14-5 (.737)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1616 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2025 MLB Finals. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: The Houston Rockets hosted and topped the Los Angeles Lakers 115-pts-96 to stave off a four-game sweep, reducing the Los Angeles Lakers best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1639 lead to 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a series record of 37-1 (with an active ten-series winning streak) and a Game 5 record of 23-15. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 2-12 (with an active four-series losing streak) and a Game 5 record of 9-5. Leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers sustained their sole series loss in series 977, to the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Preliminary round. Trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Houston Rockets achieved their two series wins in series 691 (over the Phoenix Suns in the 1995 NBA Quarterfinals) and in series 1280 (over the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2015 NBA Quarterfinals).

After Game 3: The Los Angeles Lakers visited and defeated the Houston Rockets 112-pts-108(OT) to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1639 lead of 3-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a series record of 20-0 and a Game 4 record of 13-7 (with an active five-Game 4 winning streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 0-4 and a Game 4 record of 2-2. Leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil (as they now do in series 1639), the Los Angeles Lakers closed out 13 such series via four-game sweep, six such series in five games, and one such series in six games. The Houston Rockets become the 417th MLB/NBA/NHL team in a best-of-7 playoff series to fall behind 3-games-nil, and will now strive to become the sixth team to surmount that deepest of deficits to achieve a 4-games-3 series victory.

After Game 2: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted and bested the Houston Rockets 101-pts-94 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1639 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a series record of 44-1 (with an active 37-series winning streak) and a Game 3 record of 20-25 (with an active four-Game 3 losing streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 2-15 (with an active nine-series losing streak) and a Game 3 record of 13-4. Leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their sole series loss in series 215, to the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals. Trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Houston Rockets achieved their only two series victories over the Phoenix Suns, in both the 1994 NBA Quarterfinals and the 1995 NBA Quarterfinals, and en route to NBA championships in each instance.

After Game 1: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the Houston Rockets 107-pts-98 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1639 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a series record of 61-7 (with an active 26-series winning streak) and a Game 2 record of 45-23. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 5-18 (with an active five-series losing streak) and a Game 2 record of 6-17. The last time that the Los Angeles Lakers won Game 1 of a best-of-7 NBA playoff series and lost that series was series 597, to the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 NBA Finals.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2025-26 NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished one game ahead of the Houston Rockets. From 1947 through the 2025 NBA Finals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by one regular-season game, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 24-29 (.453) in those series against those opponents. Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1639 is the 110th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Los Angeles Lakers, and the 44th for the Houston Rockets. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers have an all-rounds series record of 74-35, a Preliminary-round series record of 9-6, and a Game 1 record of 68-41, while the Houston Rockets have an all-rounds series record of 20-23, a Preliminary-round series record of 6-8, and a Game 1 record of 20-23. Series 1639 is the fifth best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets. The Los Angeles Lakers won three of their first four best-of-7 NBA playoff series against the Houston Rockets, including their last three such series (in the 2004 NBA Preliminary round, in the 2009 NBA Quarterfinals, and in the 2020 NBA Quarterfinals).