For the past two games, Austin Reaves has been listed as questionable due to an oblique strain, then ruled out just before game time.
For Game 5 at home Wednesday, things may be different — Reaves is optimistic about playing, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Lakers, up 3-1 on the Rockets, have the chance to close out the series on Wednesday on their home court, advancing to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.
Players are notoriously poor judges of how soon they can return from an injury, but the fact that Reaves has been "questionable" for the past two games means he is near a return. The Lakers will play at least three more games this postseason, and it feels like there is a very good chance we'll see Reaves in at least one of those. Maybe starting Wednesday.
Having Reaves back on the court would be a massive lift for Los Angeles, giving it another shot creator so the entire load does not fall on the shoulders of LeBron James (who has handled that weight brilliantly through four games). Reaves was the Lakers' second-best shot creator this season, averaging a career-high 23.3 points while shooting 36% from beyond the arc, adding 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. When Doncic was out earlier in the season, Reaves showed he could be a team's primary shot creator for a stretch (and Doncic is not yet close to returning from his hamstring strain, based on what coach JJ Redick has said to date). The return of Reaves forces the Rockets to adjust their defensive matchups — one of their elite defenders needs to be on him.
Having Reaves and LeBron as the shot creators also means Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart can return to more of an off-ball role, where they are comfortable and thrive.
Redick likely would try to keep Reaves' minutes under control in a return — he's not getting run out there for 40 minutes — but any time would be a lift for the Lakers.
On the Rockets' side, a Kevin Durant return for Game 5 seems unlikely, Charania reports. Durant is dealing with a bone bruise after rolling his ankle this series, and he has played in just one game so far. The Rockets' offense, when forced to slow down in this series, has been disjointed and just kind of a mess. Things looked better in Game 4, when the Rockets' defense held the Lakers' offense in check, forced turnovers and allowed Houston's young players to get out and run in transition. That is how the Rockets can thrive in this series.
It just will be harder to do that with Reaves back in the lineup.