Lakers coach JJ Redick said Austin Reaves will go down to “a game time decision” for Wednesday’s Game 5 against the Rockets, while Luka Doncic remains out with a left hamstring strain.
The Lakers lead the Western Conference first-round series 3-1 and can close it out Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. Houston enters with three players already ruled out: Steven Adams, Kevin Durant and Fred VanVleet.
Redick said Doncic’s movement has improved, answering simply, “Yes,” when asked whether it had increased since the last update. He also dismissed the idea that Reaves is only valuable because of his box score, saying, “I don’t think we’ve been missing competitive spirit because we’ve had it for a couple weeks with this group, and he certainly adds to that.”
That competitive edge matters in a series that has turned physical and slowed down. Redick said, “I think they changed the rules a couple years ago and teams have adjusted accordingly,” adding that part of playoff basketball is “team building and getting physical players, and then you get to the playoffs and it’s a war.”
The Lakers’ coach also pointed to the rhythm of the schedule after Game 4, saying, “Friday to Sunday coming off an overtime game, I think it takes a lot out of both teams. Certainly took a lot out of us. The two-day break is nice.” That pause could be important with Reaves’ status still unresolved.
Redick did not have an update on either Adou Thierro or Deandre Ayton beyond saying, “Still trying to get clarity on why Adou was thrown out of the game.” On closing out a series, he kept the message blunt: “You have to kill them. It’s difficult to kill someone. Survival instinct says I want to stay alive. So you’ve got to be able to kill them. That’s what’s difficult.”
If Reaves is cleared, Redick said the workload will be based on how he responds, not a preset limit: “That’ll be based on whether he’s good to go. We’ll talk through that.”
For a Lakers team one win from the second round, the injury report is as important as the matchup itself. The next update on Reaves could shape whether Los Angeles can finish the job with its regular backcourt help intact.
