Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are injured and unlikely to play in the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. Both players are dealing with Grade 2 muscle strains.
Key points
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are injured.
Doncic has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
Reaves has a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain.
Both players are unlikely to play in the playoffs.
The Lakers face the Rockets in the first round.
Mentioned in this story
JJ Redick
Luka DoncicAustin ReavesLos Angeles LakersHouston Rockets
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 14, 2026: Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) gets a high-five from Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) after scoring on a three point shot against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on March 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves high-five after Doncic made a three-pointer against the Nuggets this season. The injured Lakers guards are both hopeful of returning to the lineup during the first round of the playoffs against the Rockets. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The elephant in the room for the Lakers as they enter the playoffs has been — and will continue to be — the status of their starting backcourt, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
They are both out because of injuries — Doncic with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and Reaves with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain — and neither is expected to play in the Lakers’ first-round best-of-seven playoff series against the Houston Rockets that begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.
Q&A
What injuries are Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves dealing with?
Luka Doncic has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, while Austin Reaves is suffering from a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain.
When does the Lakers' playoff series against the Rockets start?
The Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets begins on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Will Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves return for the playoffs?
Neither Luka Doncic nor Austin Reaves is expected to play in the first round of the playoffs due to their injuries.
Who is the head coach of the Lakers?
The head coach of the Lakers is JJ Redick.
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After practice Friday, Lakers coach JJ Redick was quick to say “there’s not” when asked about an update on Doncic and Reaves.
From the time Doncic and Reaves were injured on April 2 at Oklahoma City, the Lakers said both would be out until the end of the regular season. But according to people not authorized to speak on the matter, both are expected to be out four to six weeks.
Doncic went to Spain to get treatment and Reaves has been working diligently in L.A. with the hopes that both can return sooner.
With them out, the Lakers miss their combined scoring of 56.8 points, 13.8 assists and 12.4 rebounds per game. Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.5) and was third in assists (8.3), and was second on the Lakers in rebounding (7.7).
During the week of practice, Reaves was around his teammates. He was seen by the media after a few practices shooting. He appeared to be in good spirits. Doncic was supposed to be back in Los Angeles by Friday.
“Yeah, we love having Austin here, and we're glad he is in a position to do his return-to-play, however long it takes with us,” Redick said. “Excited to get Luka back and be around the group. Austin and I talk just about every day about different things. So he's … I think just being a part of this. …
"The mindset for our team and for those two guys, like we're gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point. We don't know what that is, and that's just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that's what we're trying to do.”
The theme of the week for the Lakers at practice was to “elevate” their work.
Yes, they won’t have Doncic and Reaves, but that didn’t mean the Lakers couldn’t work harder.
When they worked on box-out drills in preparation for the way the Rockets attack the offensive backboards, the Lakers went hard. When they watched film and had practice sessions, the Lakers worked with a purpose.
“I think the word we've used all week is 'elevate.' I think that's what it is,” Redick said. “We all know the playoffs are different. They're harder. There's no easy matchups, and you have to be able to elevate your play. But beyond that, it's elevating your recovery, your attention to detail, your preparation.
"I talked about that with my coaches as we started this week on Monday morning. It was an off day for the guys, but we were in there for six hours and we've all collectively gotta elevate. And particularly when you're missing two of your top guys, part of elevating is elevating each other and the belief that the group as a whole can be great.”
The Rockets are a tough and rugged team that is powerful on defense and rebounding.
They were ranked fourth in the NBA in points allowed (110.0) and sixth in opponents' field-goal percentage (46.0). They were tops in rebounding (48.1) and offensive rebounds (15.0).
That has the Lakers’ attention and that is why they worked so hard during practice.
“It’s been great. The level of focus and attention to detail, the communication, everything has been elevated,” Jarred Vanderbilt said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that’s been to the playoffs and know what it takes.
"Like you said, everything elevates around this time and having a veteran group that’s kind of been there and had a taste of the playoffs, we all know what it takes to win games in the playoffs. It’s everybody going out and doing their job and paying attention to the gameplan.”
