HOUSTON — Lakers star guard Austin Reaves was downgraded from questionable to out for Sunday’s Game 4 against the Rockets at Toyota Center.
Reaves has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 2 left oblique strain, an injury that typically comes with a four- to six-week recovery timeline.
The Lakers’ Austin Reaves won’t play Sunday against the Rockets. NBAE via Getty Images The fifth-year guard, along with fellow star guard Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain), suffered the regular-season-ending injuries during the April 2 loss to the Thunder.
He and Doncic missed the final five games of the regular season with their respective injuries.
Reaves was listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 3 before being downgraded to out. Doncic also was ruled out of Game 4.
He averaged a career-high 23.3 points to go with 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in a career-low 51 regular-season games after also missing significant time in December and January because of a calf strain.
Reaves has a $14.9 million player option for 2026-27 that he’s expected to decline, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason with the expectation of a significant pay raise.
The Lakers entered Sunday up 3-0 in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Rockets.
