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Austin Reaves injury upgrade opens door for possible Game 3 return
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The Los Angeles Lakers are coming into Game 3 of their opening round playoff series against the Houston Rockets with a commanding 2-0 lead . Needing to win only two more games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals, it's possible the Lakers get a boost in the potential return of Austin Reaves from injury.
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Austin Reaves was officially listed as questionable for Game 3 against the Rockets, leaving the door open for him to potentially make his series debut for the Lakers. Reaves sustained an oblique injury during the team's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder back on April 2. He's been sidelined since then.
Reaves' upgrade on the injury report doesn't necessarily mean that he will make his playoff debut within the next two games in Houston. But it does signal that he's making progress in his recovery and is on track to make his return sooner rather than later.
Following Lakers' practice on Thursday before the team hit the road, head coach JJ Redick affirmed that Reaves' progression was continuing in the right direction. Reaves has begun to do some on court work this past week as part of his rehab.
He had been in the midst of a breakout season before the injury, one that will lead to a big pay day in the offseason as Reaves will hit unrestricted free agency. He appeared in 51 games at a little over 34 minutes per game.
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Reaves was averaging a career-high 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 49 percent shooting from the field, 36 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 87.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Game 3 between the Lakers and Rockets is scheduled for Friday with Game 4 on Sunday. If necessary, Game 5 would be on Wednesday of next week.
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