Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) will remain on the inactive list for Game 2 of the Lakers‘ first-round series against Houston on Tuesday night, but there’s still a chance that he’ll be able to suit up later in the series, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
“The sense around the Lakers is that Austin Reaves is actually the one that’s further along than Luka Doncic in their respective rehab processes,” Charania said. “I am told Austin Reaves has started one-on-one on-court work. The next step for him is to continue to go through the progressions of three-on-three, five-on-five.
“Remember, early April, he had a four-to-six week timetable. So theoretically that puts him on track (to return) late in this series (or) potentially early in the next series.”
The prognosis isn’t quite as positive for Doncic, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain. According to Charania, the Lakers aren’t expecting the perennial MVP candidate to return to action during the first round.
A recovery timeline for Doncic was never specified, but he has dealt with some left hamstring issues in the past and suffered a Grade 2 strain this time around, so the Lakers will be careful not to rush him back before he’s ready. His injury typically requires a recovery period of at least four weeks — and sometimes more than that.
The Lakers’ ability to extend or win the series without their two star guards is an open question, but the team took care of business at home in Game 1 on Saturday, registering a 107-98 win as Luke Kennard led the way with a team-high 27 points.
LeBron James (13 assists) and Marcus Smart (eight assists) took on additional play-making duties in Game 1 for the Lakers, who benefited from the fact that Kevin Durant was sidelined with an injury of his own. Durant is listed as questionable to play in Game 2 on Tuesday and doesn’t seem likely to be at 100% if he suits up.
I always remind folks things can get worse even when they seem really down
Rushing either player Back is a no go for me even if it possibly means losing in rd 2 instead of 1 – They aren’t beating Okc even at 120% health, okc with thier ball pressure is a terrible matchup for them in all regards
The fights admirable but let’s not get over our skies here please
Courtesy of “Angry Old Hoops Fan” (shoutout to him and all the good work he does), several of LeBron’s Game 1 “assists” did not meet the definition of a true basketball assist. Quick reminder for the younger basketball fans whose viewership only spans the Curry/LeBron era: an “assist” in basketball should only be recorded when the pass IMMEDIATELY leads to another player’s made basket – think two dribbles MAX (moreso one or no dribbles) by the eventual scorer. If the scoring player does not immediately shoot the ball – after one-to-two steps or one-to-two dribbles MAX – then this should nullify any possible assist on the made basket. And the amount of time it takes for a player to shoot and score, after a pass, should also be taken into account. Say, LeBron passes to Luka who then faces down his opponent, does a couple jab steps, pivots to back down his defender, then pivots BACK to face up his opponent before shooting the ball. This, obviously, is not a sequence of ball movement leading to an IMMEDIATE basket – we’re talkin’, like, 3 seconds MAX it should take for the ball to leave one player’s hands, enter another player’s grasp, and leave the fingertips for the basket.
LeBron very likely isn’t the only one getting special treatment here – but he isn’t called “The Stat Pad King” for nothing (multiple meanings as you see now). Not sure why the league has resorted to such choppy stat keeping. It could be a topic for another day, perhaps.