DHJ Quick Take
- Key Absences: The Los Angeles Lakers will be without stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves for the start of their 2026 playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
- Official Status: Head coach JJ Redick has officially listed both players as “out indefinitely,” providing no specific timeline for their return.
- Postseason Impact: These injuries leave the Lakers significantly shorthanded as they enter a high-stakes matchup against Houston.
All signs point toward the Los Angeles Lakers being without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to begin their 2026 playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick told reporters that Dončić and Reaves are still “out indefinitely.”
“They’re out indefinitely,” Redick said. “I’m not going to have an update for you this week. They’re out indefinitely.”
Dončić is recovering from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, while Reaves is healing from a Grade 2 left oblique strain. Both players got hurt on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers will likely start LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton against the Rockets. While anything is possible, no one who covers the NBA expects Dončić or Reaves to play in the Houston series.
Dončić and Reaves were the highest-scoring duo in the NBA this season at 56.8 points per game. Dončić led the league in total points and points per game in his first full season with the Lakers. He averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. Meanwhile, Reaves put up 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest.
To upset the Rockets without Dončić and Reaves, Redick knows his team will have to play hard for 48 minutes and rebound the ball very, very well.
“Taking care of the basketball and boxing out, that’s the series,” Redick said. “Scheme, personnel, obviously important, but if we don’t take care of the ball and we don’t box out, we’re not going to win the series.”
The Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of last year’s playoffs in five games. Unless Dončić and/or Reaves make a magical return against the Rockets, Los Angeles will probably lose in the first round again this year.
If Dončić and Reaves don’t play against the Rockets, the Lakers’ “Big 3” of James, Dončić and Reaves may have played their last game together, as James becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Should James not retire this summer, he’s expected to either re-sign with Los Angeles or return to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third stint, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal.
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