The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the biggest surprises of the NBA postseason. Despite the absence of two of their biggest stars in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers got out to a 3-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets in the opening playoff round.
The team leaned on Herculean efforts from LeBron James, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart to secure those wins, bringing LA to the brink of advancing to the second round. After all, no team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit.
While the Lakers lost Game 4, preventing a sweep, the team still has three opportunities to put Houston away. And those opportunities might get easier if either Reaves or Doncic can return.
With Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday night, here is the latest injury information on Doncic and Reaves.
Moondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.A member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team performs during a time out during the second half of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.Cleveland Brows player Myles Garrett riles up the crowd during the first half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.A fan waves a towel during the second half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.Fans arrive to watch warmups before game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.1 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyMoondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.1 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyMoondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.2 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyA member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team performs during a time out during the second half of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.3 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyCleveland Brows player Myles Garrett riles up the crowd during the first half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.4 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyA fan waves a towel during the second half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.5 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyFans arrive to watch warmups before game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.Austin Reaves injury infoAustin Reaves is hopeful to play in Game 5. Per ESPN, Reaves is "optimistic" about his return.
That said, Reaves has been a game-time decision for three straight contests now and failed to participate in Games 3 or 4. Though the outlook seems bright for Reaves' return, the team could still decide it's best he remains sidelined for Wednesday's contest.
Doncic has been out since the six-time All-Star hurt his hamstring on April 2. Although he is nearing a return, and has been seen performing shooting drills at Lakers practice, head coach JJ Redick has maintained that Doncic is "out indefinitely."
On Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Doncic is expected to miss the second round of the playoffs as well, indicating that there is still no timetable for his return.
"It is a slow-path on the recovery front for Luka. The expectation is if the Lakers are able to beat Houston and advance Luka Dončić will be out for the next series. There's still no time table for him as of right now. He's starting to do more court movement as JJ Redick said the… pic.twitter.com/ayA0zuKreU
Should the Lakers defeat the Rockets, they will face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals. The Thunder won all four games they played against the Lakers this season, meaning Los Angeles will need all the help it can get if it wants to win the series.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lakers injury updates for Doncic, Reaves is good news, bad news