Lakers Get Unexpected Austin Reaves Injury Update Before Game 3 vs. Rockets
The Los Angeles Lakers have been shorthanded throughout the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both on the mend with injuries.
However, an unexpected injury update dropped on Thursday ahead of Game 3 on Friday, regarding Reaves' status.
Austin Reaves is Questionable for Game 3 vs. Rockets
The Lakers announced that Doncic is out for Friday's game in Houston as expected, but Reaves is officially questionable to play, which is surprising, to say the least.
Austin Reaves is QUESTIONABLE for Game 3... Interesting development! pic.twitter.com/zefuXb33Ri
- Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 23, 2026
Reaves has been dealing with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain ever since he suffered the injury on April 2 in the 43-point loss to the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The consensus has been that he would be out for a considerable amount of time, with a four- to six-week estimate. However, there have been reports that Reaves is making more progress than Doncic in their recoveries and could return earlier than anticipated.
Clearly, with him being upgraded to questionable, things are trending in the right direction for Reaves, which is promising news for the Lakers, who have a 2-0 lead as this first-round series shifts to Houston for the next two games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi as Lakers Get Unexpected Austin Reaves Injury Update Before Game 3 vs. Rockets.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 3:13 PM.