Austin Reaves Receives Final Injury Designation for Lakers vs. Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers will try to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, with the series shifting to the Toyota Center on Friday night.

Ahead of Game 3, rising star Austin Reaves was listed as questionable, seemingly out of nowhere, with the consensus being that he wouldn’t be able to return until later in the first round if at all.

Austin Reaves Has Been Ruled Out for Game 3 vs. Rockets

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Reaves was downgraded to out for Game 3.

Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) has been downgraded to OUT for tonight’s game at Houston.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 24, 2026

Obviously, Reaves would've given the Lakers a huge boost in the backcourt and someone who can take over as the primary ballhandler, while also adding one of the team’s best scorers back into the fold.

However, the last thing the Lakers want is to bring back Reaves too soon, only to have the soon-to-be 27-year-old reinjure himself.

Austin Reaves warming up ahead of Game 3 pic.twitter.com/A5VMqVhrFy
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 24, 2026

It’s safe to assume that Lakers head coach JJ Redick and company will continue to take the cautious approach with Reaves, who could be on a minutes restriction during his first game back, which might be in Game 4 on Sunday.

If Reaves is back to form when he returns, the Lakers may be able to take complete control of this series with the Rockets, as it may only be a matter of time before Los Angeles advances to the second round to face the winner of the first-round matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kevin Durant Ruled Out for Game 3 vs. Lakers

Before Reaves was ruled out, Kevin Durant was officially ruled out as well for Friday's matchup, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Houston's Kevin Durant has been ruled out for Game 3 tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a left ankle sprain, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 24, 2026

At this point, there's no telling whether Durant will be healthy again during this first-round series, especially with the Lakers already having a two-game edge coming into Game 3.

No one anticipated Reaves trending in the right direction to return while Durant struggles to get on the court, which has drastically changed the outlook: the Lakers are now the favorites, and the Rockets are potentially on the verge of the biggest upset in the first round.

It'll be interesting to see how the Rockets respond to Durant's second absence in this series and whether they can compete with LeBron James and Luke Kennard leading the way, two players who have helped propel the Lakers to a 2-0 series lead ahead of Game 3.

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