The Los Angeles Lakers’ injury report for Game 1 of their first round playoff series against the Houston Rockets is exactly as expected. Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) are out, but the rest of the roster is good to go for the start of the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are listing Kevin Durant as questionable with a right knee contusion.
One of the biggest questions for the Lakers going into this series is when or if Doncic or Reaves will suit up. They are the team’s two leading scorers and the highest scoring duo in the entire NBA. The Lakers have to adjust their entire game plan without them, hence why they are underdogs in this series despite having home-court advantage.
It is great that the rest of the roster is available as the Lakers will need everyone locked in on one page to come out on top in this series. Veteran guard Marcus Smart was able to return from a right ankle contusion for the final two games of the regular season and his addition is huge for this team. Not only is he the Lakers’ defensive leader, but he also gives the team another creator on offense to help ease the burden on LeBron James and Luke Kennard.
The Lakers will also be getting backup center Jaxson Hayes back as he missed the final four games of the regular season with a left foot injury. Going up against a physical team like the Rockets who attack the paint and crash the boards relentlessly, having Hayes available with his energy and athleticism is huge.
It will be interesting to see how head coach JJ Redick and the Lakers coaching staff utilizes his lineups and rotations in this series. The Rockets’ offense has been up and down all season long, but they thrive on defense and controlling the paint and the Lakers will have to figure out a way to generate enough points while matching Houston’s physicality.
It will take the role players like Smart, Kennard, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura to have strong series’ for the Lakers to come out on top, even if James can turn back the clock a bit. And hopefully at some point this series this team will get Doncic and/or Reaves on the court.
Luke Kennard: Lakers believe they can beat Rockets despite outside expectations
Most experts and prognosticators are predicting the Lakers to lose this series and it’s understandable with the team not having Doncic and Reaves. But Kennard made it clear that this team believes they can beat the Rockets with who they have to start the series.
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