HOUSTON — It was a little bit of chicken before the egg for the Lakers.
They still needed a win in Sunday night’s Game 4 to wrap up their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets when Coach JJ Redick spoke to reporters before the game. But that didn’t stop Redick from giving his first update on Luka Doncic since before the Lakers landed in Texas.
“He just continues to kind of do some stuff on the court,” Redick said as Doncic continues to recover from a left hamstring strain suffered on April 2 in Oklahoma City. “(He) was able to move a little bit today on the court, which, you know, most of the stuff had been stand-still. So he’s progressing, but no update on any timeline or anything like that.”
On Thursday, the morning before the Lakers flew to Houston, the Slovenian star was participating in stationary shooting drills after practice at their El Segundo practice facility. As Austin Reaves – who was potentially on his way to beating the four-to-six week recovery period attached to his Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury before being downgraded for Game 3 and Game 4 in Houston – started on-court activities, Doncic remained behind his teammate in their respective recoveries.
Redick said the timelines reflect some of the differences between an upper-body injury and a lower-body injury. Reaves went through light shooting drills on Sunday, as he did on Friday, before speaking with his agent Reggie Berry for a handful of minutes. Less than an hour before tip-off, Reaves was ruled out again.
Redick said before the game that when Reaves returns will ultimately be up to the comfort level the team’s second-leading scorer has with his body.
“Austin and I had a conversation (Saturday) for a long time, and I think ultimately the athlete has to feel confidence,” Redick said, “and that’s always the final hurdle coming back from an injury, is the psychological component of it.”
While Reaves’ absence for Game 4 was hardly unexpected, Houston ruled out leading scorer Kevin Durant for the third time in the best-of-seven series. The Rockets star is dealing with a bone bruise in his ankle, Houston coach Ime Udoka said. The bruise, combined with mobility factors, made Durant a non-participant for their win-or-go-home game on Sunday.
“The bone bruise is the worst part about it,” Udoka said. “Like I said, they did all the treatment, rehab and pushed some swelling out. But the pain from the bone bruise is the main thing and limited mobility.”
ESPN reported that Durant’s injury would typically require a multi-week recovery period, adding that the 37-year-old forward had been receiving around-the-clock treatment. Udoka said on Saturday that Durant was on an underwater treadmill, receiving treatment on his ankle sprain, during Game 3 on Friday night.
If Durant, who sat out the series opener with a knee issue, is unable to return if/when the series extends to Game 5 or beyond, it could mark the end of Durant and James’ longtime playoff history, which includes three NBA Finals meetings (2012, 2017, 2018).