Austin Reaves Return May Have Cost the Lakers in Game 5 vs Rockets

Austin Reaves came back in Game 5, scored 22 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers still lost 99-93 to the Houston Rockets. The series is 3-2 now, heading back to Houston, and the conversation has shifted from relief to concern.

The worry is simple. Before Reaves returned, the Lakers had something working. Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart were making shots, the offense had a rhythm, and Los Angeles had won three straight without their two best players.

The Rockets took Game 4, and then Reaves came back in Game 5, and that same Kennard and Smart who had been carrying the offense went completely cold. The team shot 25.9% from three, turned it over 15 times, and never really looked comfortable.

Reaves went 4-for-16 from the field in 34 minutes. He got to the free-throw line 13 times, which kept his numbers looking decent, but the shot-making was not there. Kennard, who dropped 27 in Game 1, finished with one point on 0-for-4 shooting. Smart had six turnovers. The whole offense just went quiet.

No NBA team has ever blown a 3-0 series lead. If the Lakers somehow let this slip, it would be one of the most embarrassing collapses in playoff history.

Was the Lakers Offense Better Off Without Austin Reaves

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves — Austin Reaves | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Some people think the answer is yes, at least right now. The argument is not that Reaves is bad. It is that Kennard, Smart, and the rest had found a real groove, and his return changed how everyone moved, who touched the ball, and where the shots came from. These guys had built something real over four games, and plugging a star back in mid-series can throw that off without anyone meaning it to.

Reaves himself admitted stepping back in cold was not easy.

"I wish I could get a little bit more of a rhythm, before jumping into the fire like that," he said after the game.

Coach JJ Redick kept his tone measured. He said Reaves did a nice job of driving and would find his rhythm. That is probably true. But with the series now at 3-2 and a road game next, there is no time to ease back into anything.

The bigger problem is what comes next if we beat Houston. Luka Doncic, out since April 2 with a hamstring strain, is not coming back this round, and it is also confirmed that he will also miss the start of a second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A banged-up Lakers team walking into a matchup with the defending champions, still without their best player, is a completely different kind of challenge.

Reaves needs to find his way fast, the role players need to shoot like they did in Games 1 and 2, and the Lakers need to win a road playoff game in Houston to avoid a Game 7. They have pulled off tougher this postseason. Game 6 will show if they still have it.

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