What the Lakers showed in Round 1 and what it means for Round 2
The Lakers showed their colors against the Rockets but will need to be perfect to come out on top in Round 2 against the NBA's defending champs.
Luka Doncic #77 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate a three point shot by Marcus Smart #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA Playoffs basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Tuesday April 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. The Los Angeles Lakers moved past the Houston Rockets in six games, but the series revealed a team still operating with little margin for error. That becomes the story now.
Because waiting in Round 2 is the defending champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder—a team that didn’t just win but dominated all season. Also, a team that coaches JJ Redick acknowledged after Sunday's practice as one of the greatest in NBA history, coming off a 64-18 regular season. "I said to a bunch of people yesterday, off-site talking about this series: to me, the Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history," Redick said.
"It's just the reality. They're that good. I think our guys recognize that and respect that, and we know what kind of task we have in front of us.
" Redick explained a stat he shared in a morning meeting that had the Thunder statistically among some of the best teams this league has ever seen "We saw a stat in our morning meeting: teams that have had back-to-back, 10 or more better net ratings in consecutive seasons, you're talking about the '95-'96 Bulls and '96-'97 Bulls and the '15-'17 Warriors. " The Luka question looms The status of Luka Dončić remains uncertain heading into the series, with Redick saying there is still no update on his status after Monday's second practice of the second round series. The Slovenian has been sidelined since March 2 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, suffered in a blowout loss in Oklahoma City.