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Head coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets is ready for Austin Reaves to return to the Lakers for Game 5.

On Wednesday night in Los Angeles, with the Lakers bringing a 3-1 lead in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, the good news the team had been waiting for over the past week or so finally arrived: Austin Reaves is ready to return to action, 27 days after he injured his oblique in a loss to the Thunder just ahead of the NBA playoffs. That’s a big boost for a Lakers team that wrung all it could out of its roster in the first three games of the series but appeared to run out of steam in Game 4 in Houston, the only loss of the series.

Reaves should be able to provide a kickstart for an offense that committed 24 turnovers and was just 5-for-22 from the 3-point line in Game 4, after getting sterling efforts from LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard in the first three games.

Reaves averaged 23.3 points and 5.5 assists this season and should take over a hefty portion of the ballhandling duties.

Ime Udoka: Lakers Won’t Change Schemes With Austin Reaves

Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who has seen his team and his job security pushed to the bring by the Lakers in this series, was asked before the game how he expected his team’s strategy to chance with Reaves on the floor.

Udoka did not seem to think that the Lakers would change much schematically, only that Reaves is a higher caliber of offensive player for the Rockets to try to contain.

Said Udoka: “Schematically, it doesn’t change much. The plays they have been running for Luke Kennard are really out of his playbook and so they’re doing a lot of those similar things. But the way he goes about it is different, obviously he is a very talented scorer, draws the fouls better, he is a better 1-on-1 scorer than the guys they have out there right now.

“So, match-up wise, we still got the guys to prep for him in case he starts, comes off the bench or whatever it may be. Understanding that we have had three games him, and we have seen him quite a bit this year, so, nothing new what to expect what they’re going to run for him. It’s just how he goes about it and being smart with the fouls.”

‘Just Sitting Over There’

On Tuesday, Reaves addressed Lakers reporters for the first time since he suffered the injury, and while he praised his teammates for their efforts while he–and fellow star Luka Doncic (hamstring)–has been out, he said it hasn’t been easy to watch in street clothes.

“I’ve been pretty miserable,” Reaves said. “Not having somewhat of a control on a game. Just sitting over there—not no hope in the game, no hope that I can affect the game. Obviously, I can talk and try to lead from being over there but not really being on the court. It sucks. I think we’ve seen in the past with my injuries I will do everything I can to get back as soon as I can with, you know, still being safe at the same time.”