The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be preparing for the most difficult version of their first-round series: one without either Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves. In a report, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote that, as the Lakers get set to face the Houston Rockets as the West’s No. 4 seed, team sources have “no expectation” of having either guard back at any point in the opening round, even if the possibility has not been completely ruled out should the series extend.
Dončić is listed out indefinitely with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and Reaves as out indefinitely with an oblique injury.
For the Lakers, the implications are enormous. Dončić and Reaves have been central to their backcourt identity, shot creation and offensive balance, and their absence would place even more pressure on LeBron James to carry the structure of the series possession by possession.
The broader mood around the team has shifted accordingly. What might once have been framed as a matchup between two dangerous Western Conference teams is now increasingly about survival, adaptation and whether the Lakers can stretch the series long enough for circumstances to change. McMenamin’s reporting leaves that door slightly open. But for now, the more important message is the one the Lakers themselves appear to be sending internally: they are preparing as if help is not coming in the first round.
