After being listed as questionable before being ruled out for the Lakers’ last two playoff games against the Rockets, there’s heightened optimism that star guard Austin Reaves will make his return to the court in Game 5.
Reaves will be a gametime decision for Wednesday’s matchup at Crypto.com Arena, with the Lakers leading 3-1 in the best-of-seven first round series after dropping Sunday’s Game 4 in Houston.

The star guard has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 2 left oblique strain during the April 2 loss to the Thunder, which typically comes with a 4-6 week recovery timeline.
Wednesday marks just one day shy of four weeks since Reaves suffered the injury.
“I feel good,” Reaves said on Tuesday during his first media availability since suffering the injury. “As far as what we’re doing, we’re in a good spot. 3-1 back [at] home, so we’ve got a good opportunity [on Wednesday]. So we’ll see.”