Austin Reaves Returning to Lakers’ Lineup for Game 5 After Missing 9 Games With Oblique Injury

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Austin Reaves is returning from a nine-game injury absence Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers attempt to finish their first-round playoff series with the Houston Rockets in Game 5.

The Lakers won the first three games of the series without their top two scorers, but the Rockets took Game 4 to push the series back to Los Angeles.

Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds this season, but played in just 51 games thanks to the oblique injury and a strained left calf that sidelined him for 19 straight games from Christmas to February.

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