The Los Angeles Lakers will try again to finish off the Houston Rockets on Friday night in Houston in Game 6 of their first-round series, with Austin Reaves cleared to play and Kevin Durant ruled out for a fourth straight game. The Lakers have already missed two chances to close the series after building a 3-0 lead.
Reaves is off the injury report after returning in Game 5 on Wednesday, his first action since he strained an oblique on April 2. The Lakers have managed to keep their edge in the series even after those two missed opportunities, but the margin for error has been smaller with each game.
Durant’s absence remains the biggest change on the other side. He will miss Game 6 because of a left ankle sprain and bone bruise in the same ankle that was hurt late in Game 2, and he also sat out Game 1 with a knee contusion. That means Houston will be without him for a fourth straight contest, leaving the Rockets to keep the series alive without one of their top players.
The timeline has already pushed this matchup into a tighter window than the Lakers wanted. Durant’s injury is usually described as carrying a two-week recovery timetable, while Reaves’ return gives Los Angeles another backcourt option as the series moves back to Houston for one more elimination chance.
If the Rockets extend the series again, Game 7 would be played in Los Angeles on Sunday. For now, the Lakers go into Friday with another chance to end it, and the Rockets go in trying to force the series back home one more time.