The Los Angeles Lakers will again be without guard Austin Reaves when they host the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday night, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on NBA Today.
Reaves, sidelined by a left oblique strain, has begun one-on-one work on the court and is considered ahead of teammate Luka Doncic in the rehabilitation process, according to Charania. The next steps for Reaves are progressing to three-on-three and eventually five-on-five drills. The club initially set a four-to-six-week recovery window in early April, which could position him to return late in the series or at the start of a potential second-round matchup.
Doncic, dealing with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, is not expected to appear at any point in the opening round. While the Lakers have not released a formal timetable, similar injuries typically require at least four weeks of recovery, and the organization plans to proceed cautiously.
Los Angeles opened the series with a 107-98 home victory on Saturday. Luke Kennard scored a team-high 27 points, while LeBron James and Marcus Smart handled extra playmaking duties, finishing with 13 and eight assists, respectively. Houston was without Kevin Durant because of an undisclosed injury; he is listed as questionable for Game 2 and is not expected to be fully healthy if he plays.
Source: Hoops Rumors
