Alas, the 2026 NBA postseason is upon us. It took a while to get here. About six months, in totality.
The regular season was an entertaining one, for sure. Let’s not get that mistaken, however, it became a war of attrition, on many fronts. Some teams limped across the finish line.
The Los Angeles Lakers were one of those teams, as both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered season-ending injuries that has their opening round postseason series against the Houston Rockets in doubt. But according to ESPN’s
Shams Charania, Doncic will be getting re-evaluated on Tuesday.
Sharania joined the Pat McAfee Show and provided an update on Doncic’s injury prognosis.
“The expectation is that Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will both be out to start the first round.
Luka Doncic spent the last week in Spain and he underwent multiple injection treatments in that hamstring.
He will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.”
Sharania added that Reaves will likely be out through the first week of May, with an oblique injury that has kept him out of commission and away from the hardwood since April 2nd. It goes without saying that the Lakers are a much different team without Doncic and Reaves.
It also shouldn’t be penciled in that they will both be sidelined through the entirety of the series. Players typically are willing to risk their bodies during the postseason.
Even a limited version of Doncic is far better than whomever the Lakers are forced to replace him with. As for the Rockets, they will need to capitalize on the matchup, regardless. They’ve played down to their competition throughout the season, having lost to teams that they’ve been much better than.
Tanking teams, even. Houston lost games against the Dallas Mavericks (twice), Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings (twice), New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls, who jumped out to a 41-21 lead after the opening period.
