Lakers lose Austin Reaves, then fall to Rockets for another loss

The Lakers felt good about their starting lineup on Thursday when Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura returned from injury to restore their normal starting unit for just the seventh time this season.

But the good times didn’t last long. Coming out of halftime trailing the Houston Rockets by 10 points, the Lakers announced that Austin Reaves would not play in the second half due to left calf soreness.

With another apparent setback for Reaves adding to the Lakers’ desperate search for continuity, the team put together another inconsistent performance on defense in a 119-96 loss to the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers, who have lost three straight games for the first time this season, allowed the Rockets to shoot 53 percent from the field. Amen Thompson led the way with 26 points and Kevin Durant scored 25 as the Rockets dominated the Lakers 48-25.

Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before returning against Phoenix on Tuesday. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers’ loss to the Suns.

Against the Rockets, Reaves started and played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring 12 points on five-of-eight shooting.

Reaves entered Thursday averaging 27.3 points per game, ranking him 11th in the league.

Doncic, who was injured in his left leg, had 25 points and seven assists and LeBron James had 18 points. Hachimura (managing a right groin injury) did not score in his 28 minutes.

With so many players changing around the roster due to injuries, the Lakers have struggled to find solutions to their defensive issues.

They entered Thursday allowing 117.4 points per game, 19th in the league. They allowed the 26th highest field goal percentage (48.4) and highest three-point shooting percentage (40.1). They were second to last in rebounds, averaging 40.1 per game.

This was a real challenge against the Rockets team which came into play first in terms of offensive rebounds (16.1).

And in this game, the Rockets got 17 offensive rebounds.

The Lakers were without key players Jaxson Hayes (left ankle soreness) and Gabe Vincent (low back strain), which added to their woes.

“It’s the modern NBA where there are injuries and there’s not a lot of time to practice,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “So when you have continuity, you can kind of capture what you’re trying to do and you feel comfortable and good about it.”