Lakers' Jake LaRavia Suffers Injury Ahead of Game 3 vs. Rockets
The Los Angeles Lakers came into their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets shorthanded, with both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves dealing with injuries that have kept them sidelined for Game 1 and Game 2.
Although the Lakers have been without their two best players, the rest of the squad has remained healthy until Thursday, when veteran forward Jake LaRavia suffered an ankle injury.
Jake LaRavia Dealing With Ankle Injury Ahead of Game 3
After Thursday's practice, Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed LaRavia has suffered a minor ankle injury, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
"He has a very, very low grade, minor, minor, minor ankle sprain" - JJ Redick gives an update on Jake LaRavia, who tweaked his right ankle in Game 2. An MRI came back clean and he is day-to-day pic.twitter.com/8IaxfGRAmL
- Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 23, 2026
"He has a very, very low grade, minor, minor, minor ankle sprain," Redick said of LaRavia's injury.
Fortunately for the Lakers, LaRavia isn't dealing with a severe injury, and this ankle tweak might not impact his play all that much. The last thing Los Angeles needs as the series against the Rockets shifts to Houston is to be more shorthanded than they already are, with Doncic and Reaves still on the mend.
Although LaRavia always plays with a lot of effort and can be a force defensively at times, he has struggled in this series. He's averaging 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in 17.0 minutes per contest, while shooting 33.3 percent from the floor and having yet to connect from beyond the arc.
Role Players Stepping Up for Lakers
With LaRavia struggling through the first two games against the Rockets, the Lakers have leaned heavily on Rui Hachimura, who is averaging 42.5 minutes per game. He's putting up 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest, while shooting an impressive 55 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range.
Luke Kennard is also racking up some solid numbers in this series while being somewhat of a two-headed monster for the Lakers alongside LeBron James. The veteran newcomer is averaging 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting an incredible efficient 65.4 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from beyond the arc.
If Kennard continues to light up the scoreboard, the sharpshooter will be a hot commodity this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Hachimura will also be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and may secure a lucrative long-term deal with the Lakers or elsewhere.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi as Lakers' Jake LaRavia Suffers Injury Ahead of Game 3 vs. Rockets.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 1:22 PM.