The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t ruling out Luka Doncic (hamstring strain) or Austin Reaves (oblique strain) for their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
However, a potential return reportedly isn’t the expectation.
Via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
As they prepare for it, sources told ESPN they have no expectation of having either Doncic or Reaves back at any point in the first round. But they also have not completely ruled out the possibility of one or both of them becoming available the longer the series lasts.
Both Doncic and Reaves, who led the Lakers (53-29, No. 4 in the eight-team Western Conference playoffs bracket) in scoring, suffered Grade 2 strains in an April 2 loss at Oklahoma City. Those typically have a recovery timeline of four-to-six weeks before returning to play in an NBA game.
Game 6 and Game 7 of the best-of-seven series versus the Rockets are on May 1 and May 3, respectively. So, if Doncic and/or Reaves were able to recover on the short end of that timeline — or, if perhaps the timeline was slightly expedited due to the added playoff stakes — it’s at least plausible that one or both could return in the first round.
But from a Los Angeles perspective, that scenario appears far from a foregone conclusion. And for the Rockets (52-30, No. 5 in West), it could make winning games early in the series even more important, so that the series doesn’t drag out long enough to allow for such a return.
“You have to mentally understand that it’s still the NBA,” said Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who pointed to Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura as players capable of stepping up for the Lakers. Los Angeles still has a perennial All-Star in LeBron James to lead the way, as well.
“Other guys are going to step up and be more aggressive in their opportunities,” Udoka told reporters after Thursday’s practice in Houston. “For us, obviously it’s the playoffs, so it’s not time to think about anything other than coming out and being consistent, doing what we do, and not looking at who’s missing for them. They’re still a very capable team with really good players.”
Game 1 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. Central and will be televised and streamed to a national audience via ABC.
“There’s no time for complacency,” Rockets guard Amen Thompson said. “It’s the playoffs, we’re trying to win a championship.”
Los Angeles went 2-1 against the Rockets in the regular season, but Doncic averaged 38.0 points (50.0% FG, 37.9% on 3-pointers), 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in the two wins.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Report: Lakers not expecting injured stars to return versus Rockets
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
