Austin Reaves Off Lakers Injury Report for Lakers Vs Rockets Game 6

The Lakers changed their availability picture for lakers vs rockets game 6 on Friday in Houston, and Austin Reaves is off the injury report. Luka Doncic remains out, leaving Los Angeles with one rotation piece back and another still unavailable as it tries to protect a 3-0 series lead it already let slip once.

Reaves Returns to the Lakers

Reaves returned to action on Wednesday in Game 5 after an oblique strain on April 2, and he is now cleared for Game 6. That gives the Lakers a guard who can handle the ball and take pressure off the rest of the backcourt in a playoff game that has already swung toward Houston.

Los Angeles needed that stability after missing two chances to close out the series. The Lakers led 3-0 before the Rockets pushed back, and Game 6 now carries the weight of a series that looked finished only days ago.

Doncic Stays Out

Doncic remains sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. His absence keeps the Lakers from having their full high-end scoring and creation group in a game where every possession matters, especially with the series still alive and momentum on the other side.

The difference in availability is the sharpest part of this report: Reaves is back, Doncic is not. That leaves Los Angeles with one piece added to the board, but not the one that changes the top end of the offense.

Durant Misses Again

Houston will also be without Kevin Durant, who will sit out Game 6 because of a left ankle sprain and a bone bruise in the injured ankle. It will be his fourth straight game missed, after he also sat Game 1 with a knee contusion and then suffered the ankle injury late in Game 2.

The Rockets now have the cleaner injury path into Friday, while the Lakers are still managing their own absences. If Houston wins Game 6, Game 7 would be played in Los Angeles on Sunday, putting the series back on the Lakers' floor after they failed to finish it twice.