LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers could be getting a key contributor back for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, as guard Austin Reaves has been upgraded to questionable.
Reaves, who has been sidelined with a Grade 2 oblique injury, missed the final five games of the regular season and the first two games of the playoffs.
His status upgrade signals progress in his recovery and gives the Lakers a chance to regain one of their top backcourt playmakers, with Luka Dončić still sidelined indefinitely with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, as the series shifts to Houston.
Head coach JJ Redick said before the Lakers Game 2 win that Reaves had started a return-to-play progression, but the team had not yet set a timeline for his return. Now, with the guard listed as questionable, the Lakers appear to be moving closer to having him available in the series soon.
Reaves played a major role for Los Angeles throughout the regular season, providing scoring and ball handling alongside Dončić and LeBron James.
Dončić and Reaves were the NBA's top-scoring duo, with 56.8 points averaged between the two. Reaves posted 23.3 points in 51 games this season.
Reaves would return to a Lakers team that has played brilliantly in their first two games of the first round against the Rockets.
James, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart have lifted the Lakers to a 2-0 series lead with Game 3 test on the road at the Toyota Center in Houston.