2025-26 · Playoffs · Final
Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets
Sunday, April 26, 2026 · tip-off 9:30 PM ET
LAL 0–2@HOU 2–6 records going into the game NBA.com recap ↗
Forecast and result
| Team | Projected | Final | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAL Los Angeles Lakers | 102 | 96 | −6 |
| HOU Houston Rockets (home) | 108 | 115 | +7 |
Forecast: Houston Rockets to win, 65% win probability, projected margin 6.
Inside the Forecast
How the inputs are builtNo saved inputs are stored with this game's forecast.
The result against the forecast
2025-26 surprise gamesSurprise is measured against this model's forecast, not against what other observers expected. Outcome surprise is −ln(winner's pregame probability): 0.69 for a coin flip, 2.3 for a 10% winner.
Team box score
What happened in the game. These numbers are not used by the forecast, and they are not offered as the reason it missed.
| Team stat | LAL | HOU |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 96 | 115 |
| Field goals | 37–74 · 50.0% | 39–81 · 48.1% |
| Three-pointers | 5–22 · 22.7% | 12–30 · 40.0% |
| Free throws | 17–21 · 81.0% | 25–31 · 80.6% |
| Rebounds | 37 | 35 |
| Assists | 23 | 19 |
| Turnovers | 23 | 13 |
| Steals | 6 | 17 |
| Blocks | 7 | 4 |
How the model does with these teams over time: Los Angeles Lakers · Houston Rockets
Where the forecast differed from the result
| Measure | Forecast | Actual | Actual − forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home margin (HOU) | +6 | +19 | +13 |
| Total points | 210 | 211 | +1 |
| LAL points | 102 | 96 | −6 |
| HOU points | 108 | 115 | +7 |
Injury report
Official NBA injury report, 2026-04-26 17:30 ET (the latest stored report before the forecast was saved). Two-way and G League assignments are omitted. The model counts players listed Out or Doubtful; Questionable players are treated as available.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Out Luka Dončić · Left Hamstring;Strain
- Questionable Austin Reaves
Houston Rockets
- Out Fred VanVleet · Right Knee;ACLRepair
- Out Kevin Durant · Left Ankle;Sprain
- Out Steven Adams · Left Ankle;Surgery
Recent form before this game
Previous meetings
| Date | Matchup | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 24 2025-26 | LAL at HOU | LAL 112 – 108 HOU |
| Apr 21 2025-26 | HOU at LAL | HOU 94 – 101 LAL |
| Apr 18 2025-26 | HOU at LAL | HOU 98 – 107 LAL |
| Mar 18 2025-26 | LAL at HOU | LAL 124 – 116 HOU |
| Mar 16 2025-26 | LAL at HOU | LAL 100 – 92 HOU |