The “Should Austin Reaves sit or play tonight” is such a hard decision:
Lakers are up 3-0 without him, and every extra day of rest helps
But at the same time I want them to ramp him up and not just throw him into the fire against OKC right away
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 25: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts for a LA Clippers foul during the first half at Crypto.com Arena on November 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers is officially questionable for Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, as he works back from a grade 2 oblique strain suffered in early April.
While an official Reaves injury return has yet to be announced by the Lakers, it appears the star guard is inching closer to getting back on the court.
However, while Reaves is questionable for Game 4, that was his same status heading into Game 3, a matchup in which he was later ruled out.
Still, with the shooting guard being upgraded to have the chance of coming back, news of his injury status was reportedly ‘surprising’ to those around the Lakers organization.
GettyMEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MARCH 29: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on March 29, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee.
With Reaves questionable for Game 4, his final injury status has been a main topic for the Lakers over the weekend. He originally suffered the oblique injury on April 2, and just three and a half weeks after, it appears he is on the brink of making a return.
However, according to team insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Reaves even being upgraded to questionable for Game 3, let along Game 4, came as a surprise to some inside the franchise.
“Austin had an oblique injury that was supposed to have a four to six week recovery window. He’s just passed three and a half weeks right now,” McMenamin said on Inside the NBA on Sunday. “It was surprising to some folks around the team that he was upgraded to questionable for Game 3.”
The insider added that, like on Friday, Reaves will go through warmups before the Lakers decide on an updated injury status for Game 4.
On Saturday, McMenamin reported Reaves would ‘get shots up in the arena’ the day before the game, which then led to him being listed as questionable once again.
“On a conference call with reporters, Lakers coach JJ Redick says Austin Reaves is going to get up shots this afternoon at the arena. The Lakers will update Reaves’ status for Game 4 at 5 p.m,” he wrote in a post on X.
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 24: Luka Doncic #77 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers react during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on April 24, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Hours before tipoff, Reaves is still listed as questionable for Game 4, as it remains unknown whether he will make his injury return on Sunday.
Just like in Game 3 on Friday, Reaves is expected to go through warmups and work with the team to decide if getting back on the court is the right move.
However, as McMenamin said, with the Lakers up 3-0, the idea of him staying out might not be as big a deal compared to if Game 4 was a must-win for them, rather than that being the case for the Rockets.
The “Should Austin Reaves sit or play tonight” is such a hard decision:
Lakers are up 3-0 without him, and every extra day of rest helps
But at the same time I want them to ramp him up and not just throw him into the fire against OKC right away
“I imagine just like he did for Game 3, he’ll get out there on the court, see how things feel, check in with the medical staff, check in with the coaching staff, and the front office, and they’ll make a decision,” he added. “But when you’re up 3-0, there’s no need, necessarily, to rush him back for today’s game.”
Reaves is questionable for Game 4, but even if he doesn’t play, it appears the 27-year-old does appear to be making progress on an eventual injury return.
As for Luka Doncic, he is not expected to play in the Lakers-Rockets series with his hamstring injury, but the longer Los Angeles can keep their season alive, the more chances grow of him getting back on the court sometime soon.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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