Los Angeles

Lakers

While he did not offer much production as a scorer, Ayton more than held his own on the glass in Game 6. The Lakers center grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of the final three games of the series, totaling 33 in Games 5 and 6. While the Lakers will need more offense from Ayton in the second round against Oklahoma City, at a minimum, he’ll need to be dominant on the glass for them to have any chance of pulling off what would be a major upset.

On a night when three Lakers finished in double figures, Hachimura recorded his second 20-point game of the series. The 6-foot-8 forward shot 5-of-9 from beyond the arc in Game 6, and he was 17-of-31 for the series. The Lakers won’t have much margin for error against Oklahoma City in the second round; Hachimura must be consistently productive in the series, which opens on Tuesday night.

By far the most experienced player on the Lakers’ roster, James understood the assignment for Friday’s series clincher. He hunted his shot early, setting the tone for the Lakers to build up a large first-half lead and coast from there. The good news for James and the Lakers is that they’ll get a few days off, with the second-round series against the Thunder not starting until Tuesday. Regardless of what happens with Luka Dončić (hamstring), the Lakers will need the best version of James to have any shot at pulling off the upset.

After coming off the bench in his first game back from a strained oblique, Reaves has returned to the Lakers’ starting lineup. He replaces Luke Kennard, who missed all four of his shot attempts in Game 5 and scored just one point. The Lakers are looking to avoid having to play a Game 7 on Sunday after winning the first three games of this series.

With Wednesday’s game being the first for Reaves since April 2, he was used in a reserve role. There were no restrictions for the Lakers’ guard, who logged 34 minutes. Reaves did not shoot the ball well from the field, but a 12-of-13 night at the foul line boosted the point total. Reaves may return to the starting lineup for Game 6 on Friday, especially when considering how poorly Luke Kennard played. Missing all four of his field-goal attempts, Kennard finished Game 5 with one point, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Whether he continues to start or gets bumped to the bench by Reaves, the Lakers need more from Kennard.

Ejected from Game 4 just over halfway through the third quarter, Ayton was around for the entirety of Game 5. And he lived up to the “DominAyton” nickname on the glass, grabbing ten offensive rebounds and 17 overall. Add in a good night of shooting the basketball, and the 7-footer finished with his third double-double of the series. Ayton and the Lakers will look to end the series on Friday in Houston, as they look to avoid having to play a Game 7 after winning the first three games.

As a team, the Lakers shot 7-of-27 from beyond the arc, with the Rockets outscoring them by 21 points on three-pointers. James was among those who struggled, as he missed all six of his attempts. A positive for the 41-year-old was that he cleaned up the turnovers, committing two after being responsible for eight each in Games 3 and 4. Getting Austin Reaves back does help with the offensive workload, even if his return did not result in a victory on Wednesday. James and the Lakers will look to end the series in Houston on Friday.

After more than three weeks on the sidelines with a strained oblique muscle, Reaves is good to go for Game 5. His return will not push Luke Kennard to the bench, as the Lakers are sticking with the lineup that started the first four games of this series. Kennard is joined in the lineup by Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton.

Charania reports that even if the Lakers advance to face the Thunder in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Dončić is expected to remain out to begin the series. While the 27-year-old point guard has done on-court work, he hasn’t progressed to full scrimmages yet, according to Charania. Dončić’s return was described by Charania as a slow path, which also doesn’t inspire confidence for a speedy recovery. He last appeared in a game for the Lakers on April 2.

Reaves was a game-time decision in Games 3 and 4, but this latest update from Shams bodes well for Reaves’ return. With the Lakers looking to close out the series and move on to face the Thunder, Reaves’ return could come at just the right time.