EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves received a status upgrade to questionable for Friday’s Game 3 matchup with the Houston Rockets in their first-round playoff series.
The Lakers announced the change in Reaves’ availability Thursday as the team traveled to Houston. Despite missing their leading scorers, Los Angeles holds an unexpected 2-0 advantage in the series heading into Friday evening’s contest.
Reaves has been sidelined since suffering an oblique muscle strain alongside Luka Doncic’s hamstring injury during their April 2 game against Oklahoma City. However, Reaves has resumed basketball activities on the court in recent days. Prior to departure, head coach JJ Redick offered no timeline updates regarding when his injured starters might return to action.
During the regular season, Reaves posted strong numbers with 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game, though he appeared in just 51 contests due to two extended injury stretches. In his fifth year with the franchise, the former undrafted player established himself as a reliable secondary offensive weapon and playmaker as Los Angeles captured 53 victories and the Pacific Division title.
Both Reaves and league scoring leader Doncic suffered their injuries during the Lakers’ decisive defeat to the Thunder three weeks ago.
While Doncic remains unavailable for Game 3, Redick indicated earlier this week that the Slovenian star should begin preliminary court work in the near future. The Lakers have avoided providing specific return dates for either guard.
Following a three-game losing streak after the injuries occurred, Los Angeles has bounced back with five consecutive wins. The Lakers shocked the basketball world by taking both home games against the Rockets, who entered the series as heavy favorites due to Los Angeles’ injury concerns.
While 41-year-old LeBron James has spearheaded the effort, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart have delivered outstanding performances filling in for the absent backcourt starters. Kennard contributed 27 points in the series opener and 23 in Game 2, while Smart added 25 points with five three-pointers in Game 2 and anchored the defensive effort that limited Kevin Durant to just three second-half points.
Reaves faces a significant contract decision this summer if he opts out of his current deal as anticipated. Both the player and franchise officials have expressed confidence that the guard will remain with Los Angeles, the team he supported growing up.
