Lakers’ Austin Reaves gets hero’s welcome in Game 5 return vs. Rockets

Austin Reaves is back, and the Los Angeles Lakers faithful let him know how much they missed him.

When Reaves checked into tonight’s playoff game vs. the Houston Rockets, marking his first time back on the court since suffering an oblique injury on April 2, Lakers fans roared in welcoming him back. Reaves entered the game a little over halfway through the first quarter, replacing Marcus Smart, who started.

Austin Reaves right beside the LOGO pic.twitter.com/ZlggvqtSFF

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 30, 2026

Reaves had missed nine consecutive games, including the first four games of the Lakers’ first-round playoff series. Despite his and star guard Luka Doncic’s absences, Los Angeles managed to win each of the first three games to take a commanding lead. The Lakers were unable to close out the series with a sweep in Houston, losing Game 4 115-96, but they have a great chance to move on to the Western Conference semifinals with a win tonight.

Reaves suffered a oblique strain back on April 2 during a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who coincidentally very well may be the Lakers’ second-round opponent. The injury to Reaves, as well as Doncic’s hamstring strain that happened in the same game, blew a giant hole in the Lakers’ momentum down the stretch of the regular season. With a devastated backcourt, the Lakers limped to the fourth seed.

If the Lakers do not win tonight’s game, the series will shift back to Houston, where Game 6 will be played on Friday. A winner-take-all Game 7 would follow on Sunday if the Lakers are again unable to close out the series.

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