{"id":391731,"date":"2026-04-14T15:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/391731\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T15:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:34:08","slug":"lakers-get-new-austin-reaves-update-before-rockets-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/391731\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Get New Austin Reaves Update Before Rockets Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Austin\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) at the free throw line during a game against the Washington Wizards at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, March 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

The recovery time for a grade 2 oblique strain is usually 4-6 weeks, so Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> guard Austin Reaves<\/a> is expected to be out of action until at least the first week of May.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0ESPN\u2019s Brian Windhorst dropped a bombshell on Tuesday morning, suggesting that Reaves could return for the latter part of the Lakers\u2019 first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets<\/a>, which begins on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are potential Laker playoff opponents who felt that there was a better chance \u2014 based on their analysis of the situation \u2014 that Austin Reaves could play sooner rather than later,\u201d Windhorst told the \u201cHoop Collective\u201d podcast.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that, as this team was preparing to potentially see the Lakers, that they were preparing for Austin Reaves potentially to play in that first-round series at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lakers Wait For AR, Luka Doncic<\/p>\n

Windhorst was referring to his conversations with a few Western Conference teams preparing for a first-round playoff matchup against the Lakers after Reaves and Luka Doncic<\/a> (grade 2 hamstring strain) both went down with injuries on April 2.<\/p>\n

From those talks, Windy gathered that Reaves had a chance of returning quicker than his superstar backcourt partner.<\/p>\n

Austin Reaves Injury Update<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania, though, on Monday reported that the Lakers were operating under the assumption that Reaves would not return for the series vs. the Rockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustin Reaves, he\u2019s out for the majority of the first round series,\u201d Charania told \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show\u201d on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost likely, the earliest [return timeline] for him is going to be the first week of May.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second round of the playoffs is expected to start around May 3-4.<\/p>\n

As for Doncic, the Slovenian star will reportedly return to Los Angeles on Friday after spending the past week getting alternative treatment in Madrid, Spain.\u00a0A source close to Doncic remains \u201coptimistic\u201d<\/a> that the Lakers star could potentially return for Game 3, 4 or 5 against the Rockets \u2014 provided JJ Redick\u2019s team can extend the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be 11 days since the injury tonight,\u201d\u00a0Ekipa\u2019s Andrej Miljkovic<\/a>\u00a0wrote on Monday, referencing that Doncic sustained a grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe infamous 35 [day recovery timeline] means that he would definitely miss the entire first round of the playoffs, and in that case, it is really hard to imagine the Lakers eliminating Houston.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who are more optimistic, however, assume that LA can pull off a victory and that Luka can return for the third, fourth, or at the latest the fifth game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past week or so, Doncic received several cell-based therapies on his injured hamstring from Javier Barrio, a sports doctor at his former club, Real Madrid. As for Reaves, the fifth-year guard has been on the bench cheering his Lakers teammates.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSai Mohan<\/a> covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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