2026 NBA playoffs: No. 5 Rockets to face Lakers or Nuggets in first round
After Friday’s results, the Rockets are locked as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. They will open the playoffs on the road versus the No.
4 seed.
HOUSTON -- On night two of a back-to-back, the Rockets (51-30) had their eight-game winning streak snapped in Friday’s 136-132 home loss ( box score ) to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. And when combined with victories that same night by the Denver Nuggets (53-28) and Los Angeles Lakers (52-29), the loss locked in Houston as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference standings .
The Rockets do not own the tiebreaker against Los Angeles. So, even if the two teams finish tied after Sunday’s final day of the 2025-26 regular season, the Lakers would still finish ahead. As the No.
5 seed, Houston will open on the road against the No. 4 seed in the eight-team West playoffs. The Rockets went just 22-19 in road games this season.