All signs point to Austin Reaves returning to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup for tonight’s Game 5 against the Houston Rockets.
Reaves, who sustained an oblique injury on April 2, has reportedly progressed enough in his rehab to return to the court for the first-round playoff series.
“Reinforcements are on the way [for the Lakers],” Shams Charania told ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wednesday morning.
“My understanding is that Austin Reaves expects to play tonight in Game 5 against the Rockets, barring any setbacks.
“He has gone through all his progressions — 1-on-1s, 3-on-3s, 5-on-5s and he’s had no setbacks. He’s about four weeks removed from a grade 2 oblique strain.
“This is a massive boost for the Lakers to get an All-Star caliber guard back.”
Austin Reaves Injury Update
Reaves reportedly participated in 1-on-1 workouts for the first time last week and then progressed quickly before being cleared for 5-on-5 contact scrimmages.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, many in the Lakers organization were shocked at Reaves’ rapid progression, given that the Arkansas native was originally slated to miss at least four to six weeks with the injury.
On Tuesday, Reaves said he was pretty “miserable” watching from the sidelines as his Lakers teammates finished out the regular season and entered a first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets without him.
“I’ve been pretty miserable,” Reaves said.
“Not having somewhat of a control on a game. Just sitting over there—not no hope in the game, no hope that I can affect the game. Obviously, I can talk and try to lead from being over there but not really being on the court. It sucks. I think we’ve seen in the past with my injuries I will do everything I can to get back as soon as I can with, you know, still being safe at the same time.”
Lakers Get Austin Reaves Back
Reaves credited LeBron James and Co. for taking a 3-1 series lead against the Rockets despite playing without him and Luka Doncic — the team’s two leading scorers.
“It’s been a lot of fun to see the determination, the togetherness and just the joy of them playing basketball together every single possession,” Reaves said.
“It’s been a lot of fun, we talk about every time we watch them, how hard they play, the attention to detail and the togetherness.”
On the eve of Wednesday’s Game 5, Reaves made it clear that he won’t exert undue pressure on himself and would return only if cleared by the medical staff.
“JJ (Redick) specifically was like, ‘You have to be comfortable with your body and what you can do to go out there and help us be successful,’” said the fifth-year guard.
“I want to get out here as fast as I can. But like I said, I feel good. Trending in the right direction. Can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and attack another day.”
Lakers vs Rockets Game 5 tips off at 7 p.m. PT on Wednesday. The Lakers enter the game as –4.5-point favorites to finish off the Rockets and advance to the second round, where they will face the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder.
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