Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Los Angeles Lakers, up 2-0 on the Houston Rockets in their first-round NBA playoff series, could have Austin Reaves back from injury in game three. Reaves has been sidelined by an oblique muscle injury since April 4, a devastating late-season blow to a Lakers team that also saw league-leading scorer Luka Doncic sidelined with a hamstring strain.
Nevertheless, with 41-year-old LeBron James leading the charge, the Lakers won the first two games at home in their best-of-seven Western Conference series and will try to press their advantage as the series shifts to Houston on Friday. Reaves, who averaged a career-high 23.3 points per game in the regular season, was upgraded to “questionable” on the Lakers’ Thursday evening injury report, and Rockets star Kevin Durant was downgraded to “questionable” with a sprained left ankle.
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Durant, who arrived in Houston from Phoenix last July as part of a blockbuster seven-team deal, was a late scratch from game one with a bruised knee. He returned for game two but struggled in the second half, scoring just three of his team-high 23 points after the break and finishing with nine turnovers as the Lakers double-teamed him relentlessly. The series was billed as a renewal of the James-Durant rivalry, which stretches back to 2008 and includes three clashes in the NBA Finals.
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