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Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball against Alperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets in Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague believes the return of Austin Reaves has hampered the on-court chemistry of the Los Angeles Lakers in their ongoing playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
“I told y’all that as soon they said Austin Reaves was playing Game 5, I got the Rockets,” Teague said on “Club 520” podcast, while picking Houston to win the series.
Teague feels that Luke Kennard, who averaged 17.8 points on 52% shooting in the first four games, was most affected by AR-15’s return in Game 5.
“Luke Kennard didn’t get no touches.”
“Reaves said ‘I’m the real white guy here,'” Teague added jokingly.
Kennard attempted just four shots in the 99-93 Game 4 loss, finishing with one point, two assists and three rebounds. The souhtpaw averaged a team-high 39.5 minutes in the first four games against the Rockets, three of which the Lakers won.
Jeff Teague says Austin Reaves returning from injury fu*ked up the flow for the Lakers:
“I told y’all that as soon they said Austin Reaves was playing game 5, I got the Rockets. 4 for 16 is crazy. Luke Kennard didn’t get no touches. Reaves said “I’m the real white guy here.”
In fairness to head coach JJ Redick, Reaves was brought off the bench in his first game since April 2, as the Lakers continued to employ the starting backcourt of Marcus Smart and Kennard. However, Reaves returned to the starting unit for the second half and attempted a team-high eight shots in the fourth quarter after a quiet third quarter.
Reaves will likely start Game 6 vs the Rockets, as he shook off the rust after being away from in-game action for nearly a month. After his return in Game 5, he said he expects to fare better the rest of the way against Houston.
“I love playing basketball. It’s my happy place and it was nice to get back out there,” Reaves said after Wednesday’s loss, via Silver Screen and Roll.
“Obviously, I wish I played a little better. I wish I made a couple more shots. But at the end of the day, I had fun out there and it was good to compete,” added Reaves, who finished with 22 points and six assists but shot 25% from the field.
The Lakers enter Friday’s Game 6 as 3.5-point underdogs as the Rockets attempt to tie up the series and force a Game 7 back in Los Angeles.
The Rockets are trying to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit. Of the 160 teams that previously fell into such a hole, only 16 teams (including the 2025-26 Rockets) managed to force a Game 6.
Only four of those 15 teams forced a Game 7. Several analysts expect the Rockets to become just the fifth team to do so by prevailing against the Lakers in Game 6.
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins has predicted the Rockets to make history on Sunday.
Lakers vs Rockets Game 6 tips off at 6:30 p.m. PT on Friday.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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