VIPERS FALL TO LAKERS IN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS 

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (April 3, 2026) – The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (1-1), the NBA G League affiliate of the Houston Rockets, fell 112-97 to the South Bay Lakers (2-0) at UCLA Health Training Center during the Western Conference Semifinals of the NBA G League Playoffs presented by Google.

The first six minutes of the game began with a back-and-forth battle between the Vipers and Lakers. Both teams aimed to pull away, but the pace of the game changed only after South Bay gained a 17-15 advantage. The Lakers maintained the lead until the end of the quarter with a score of 33-27. 

In the second quarter RGV shortened its deficit by three points, making the score 45-42, but South Bay hit an 11-0 run and extended its lead to 56-42. The home team closed the first half with a 61-46 advantage. Dalton Knecht scored 13 points in the second quarter alone, bringing his total to 22 points going into the break. 

RGV opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run, setting the score at 63-55. South Bay then built a 17-point lead, the largest of the night. However, the away team managed to narrow the deficit to 84-74 by the end of the third quarter.  

The Vipers cut their deficit to three points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the Lakers gained momentum and secured a 112-97 win to advance to the Western Conference Finals.