Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, left, and Austin Reaves chat as they sit on the bench through the second half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Houston Rockets, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Los Angeles Lakers, up 2-0 on the Houston Rockets of their first-round NBA playoff series, could have Austin Reaves back from injury in Game 3.
Reaves has been sidelined by an oblique muscle injury since April 4, a devastating late-season blow to a Lakers team that also saw league-leading scorer Luka Doncic sidelined with a hamstring strain.
READ: NBA: Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves still out indefinitely
Nevertheless, with 41-year-old LeBron James leading the charge, the Lakers won the primary two games at home of their best-of-seven Western Conference series and can attempt to press their advantage because the series shifts to Houston on Friday.
Reaves, who averaged a career-high 23.3 points per game within the regular season, was upgraded to “questionable” on the Lakers’ Thursday evening injury report, and Rockets star Kevin Durant was downgraded to “questionable” with a sprained left ankle.
READ: NBA Playoffs: LeBron, Lakers slip past Rockets for 2-0 lead
Durant, who arrived in Houston from Phoenix last July as a part of a blockbuster seven-team deal, was a late scratch from game one with a bruised knee.
He returned for game two but struggled within the second half, scoring just three of his team-high 23 points after the break and ending with nine turnovers because the Lakers double-teamed him relentlessly.
The series was billed as a renewal of the James-Durant rivalry, which stretches back to 2008 and includes three clashes within the NBA Finals.