The Los Angeles Lakers have been waiting to find out who they’re playing in the second round since closing their first round series against the Trail Blazers on Saturday, August 29th. While they were waiting, the Rockets and the Thunder were battling in their series, with Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and the Rockets finally prevailing in their Game 7 matchup, 104-102.
The Rockets will now turn towards facing the Lakers in a quick turnaround of two days. The two teams will play each other for a Western Conference Finals berth to take on either the Nuggets or the Clippers. As with the first round series, there will be a game every other day, kicking off this Friday night at 6:00 p.m. PST on ESPN.
Check out the full schedule below (first reported by Melissa Rohlin of Sports Illustrated).*
Game 1 – Friday, September 4th (Home) – 6:00 p.m. PST – ESPN
Game 2 -Sunday, September 6th (Home) – 5:30 p.m. PST – ABC
Game 3 – Tuesday, September 8th (AWAY) – 6:00 p.m. PST – TNT
Game 4 – Thursday, September 10th (AWAY) – 4:00 p.m. PST – TNT
Game 5 – Saturday, September 12th (Home) – 5:00 p.m. PST – ESPN
Game 6 – Monday, September 14th (AWAY) – 6:00 p.m. PST – TNT
Game 7 – Wednesday, September 16th (Home) – Time TBD – TNT
*It’s assumed that these games will also be televised on Spectrum SportsNet.
After the Rockets were up 2-0 early on in the series with one blowout, the Thunder defied expectations and tied the series up at 2-2 before forcing a final game in Game 6. Game 7 ended dramatically late Wednesday, with some chaotic play from both sides resulting in an insane back-and-forth with a decisive block coming from James Harden on Luguentz Dort on a shot that would have put the Thunder up by two with not much game left.
Although the Lakers had a terrible time in their initial eight seeding games in the bubble, they’re currently on a four-game winning streak coming out of their first round series and have appeared to turn a corner. Their offensive play still hasn’t been something to gloat about, but their defense has been stellar for the most part (other than the closing game that saw Carmelo Anthony burst into flames). Still, the team doesn’t have to be perfect on offense if Anthony Davis and LeBron James are peaking at the same time, which they both appear to be doing.
We’ll see everyone Friday night!
