Dave McMenamin
Multiple Authors
Austin Reaves, who has been sidelined with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, has been upgraded to questionable for Game 3 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets, while Rockets star Kevin Durant is listed as questionable with a sprained left ankle, it was announced Thursday.
Friday’s game marks just more than three weeks removed from when Reaves suffered the injury in L.A.’s 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. In the same game, Luka Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. Doncic is listed as out for Game 3.
Reaves began his return-to-play program earlier this week, starting with 1-on-1 on court work Tuesday, Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Reaves, 27, averaged a career-best 23.3 points during the regular season, shooting 49% from the field (36% from 3), with 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
On the other side, Durant missed Game 1 of the series with a right knee contusion.
The 37-year-old returned for Game 2 to lead Houston with 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting in 41 minutes, but the Lakers won,101-94, to go up 2-0 in the series. Durant struggled in the second half Tuesday, scoring just three points on 1-for-5 shooting and committing five of his career postseason-worst nine turnovers after the break.
Without Reaves and Doncic, L.A. finished the regular season 3-2, falling from the No. 3 spot to No. 4 in the Western Conference playoffs bracket, setting up a date with the No. 5 Rockets.
Lakers backup forward Jake LaRavia is also dealing with a “very low grade, minor” right ankle sprain suffered in Game 2, Redick said after practice Thursday before the team’s flight to Houston. Redick added that a MRI on LaRavia’s ankle came back clean and LaRavia was not listed on the injury report for Game 3.
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