The Los Angeles Lakers listed guard Austin Reaves as questionable for Game 3 of their first-round matchup with the Houston Rockets after the 27-year-old progressed in his recovery from a Grade 2 left oblique strain, the club announced Thursday.
Houston, meanwhile, placed forward Kevin Durant on the same injury designation because of a sprained left ankle.
Lakers injuries
Reaves has been out since April 2, when he was hurt during the Lakers’ 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He began on-court work Tuesday, taking part in one-on-one drills, head coach JJ Redick told reporters. Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points on 49 percent shooting this season, along with 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
Guard Luka Doncic, who sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in the same April 2 game, remains out for Game 3. Los Angeles went 3-2 without Reaves and Doncic to close the regular season, dropping from the No. 3 to the No. 4 seed and drawing the fifth-seeded Rockets.
Backup forward Jake LaRavia suffered what Redick called a “very low-grade, minor” right ankle sprain in Game 2. An MRI was clear, and LaRavia does not appear on the Game 3 injury report.
Rockets update
Durant, 37, missed Game 1 with a right knee contusion but returned for Game 2, scoring 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting in 41 minutes. The 14-time All-Star managed only three points on 1-for-5 shooting after halftime and committed five of his career playoff-high nine turnovers as the Lakers secured a 101-94 victory to take a 2-0 series lead.
Game 3 is scheduled for Friday in Houston.
Source: ESPN
