The Los Angeles Lakers don’t expect Luka Dončić to play in the Houston Rockets postseason series, but Austin Reaves could, per Shams Charania of ESPN.
Dončić is recovering from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, while Reaves is healing from a Grade 2 left oblique strain. Both players got hurt on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dončić and Reaves were the highest-scoring duo in the NBA this season at 56.8 points per game. The Lakers are the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They won Game 1 against the Rockets at home.
Dončić led the league in total points and points per game in his first full season with the Lakers. He averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists a night while shooting 47.6% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc and 78.0% from the free-throw line. The former Dallas Mavericks star went to Spain to receive injections in his injured left hamstring to promote healing and expedite his return to the court.
Meanwhile, Reaves put up 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest this season. He shot 49.0% from the floor, 36.0% from 3 and 87.1% from the foul line. The undrafted guard is expected to decline his player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
If the Lakers beat the Rockets in the first round, they will face the winner of the Thunder-Phoenix Suns series in the second round. OKC, the defending NBA champion, is widely expected to beat Phoenix.
Los Angeles lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. Dončić, Reaves and LeBron James had much better chemistry this season as a trio compared to last season. The Lakers went 15-2 in March and looked like a championship contender. However, everything changed on April 2 when Dončić and Reaves went down.
It will be fascinating to see if Reaves returns in the Lakers-Rockets series. As for Dončić, we probably won’t see him on the court again unless Los Angeles beats Houston in the seven-game series.
