Lakers will benefit from spaced-out playoff schedule vs. Rockets

When Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique strain) suffered their regular-season-ending injuries April 2, with just 2 ½ weeks before the NBA playoffs started, coach JJ Redick immediately made the Lakers’ mission clear. 

“Both those guys are going to try to come back,” Redick said April 5. “And it’s our job to extend the season so that they can come back.”

Even with Redick saying Tuesday afternoon that Doncic and Reaves are out “indefinitely” and there won’t be an update on either of their statuses for the remainder of the week, the Lakers’ first-round playoff series schedule against the Rockets gives them the best shot of accomplishing their original goal. 

Game 1 on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena (5:30 p.m. tipoff) was already known.

But the league announced Tuesday night that Game 2 is set for April 21 in Los Angeles and Game 3 is scheduled April 24 in Houston — giving the Lakers the maximum amount of time between games for their injury-riddled roster to get closer to whole before what could be a pivotal Game 4 on April 26 at Toyota Center. 

There will be another two-day break before a potential Game 5 on April 29 at Crypto.com Arena — almost four weeks after the injuries to Doncic and Reaves — before the series shifts to playing every other day for potential Game 6 (May 1) in Houston and Game 7 (May 3) in Los Angeles. 

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The spaced-out nature of the Lakers-Rockets series isn’t surprising — and not because of conspiracy theories that the NBA is favoring the Lakers to give them the best shot they can at getting their star guards back during the first round. 

Let’s not forget that the Lakers’ schedule for their first-round playoff series against the Timberwolves — a series Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James were all healthy — followed the same format as this year’s Lakers-Rockets series. 

And don’t ignore the fact that the Cavaliers-Raptors matchup also has the same number of two-day breaks (three) before their potential Game 5 as Lakers-Rockets. 

Nonetheless, the schedule undoubtedly helps the Lakers.

Doncic is attempting to speed up a recovery that typically takes three to six weeks (and on average 35 days) by traveling to Spain to receive special treatment before coming back to the United States on Friday. The average recovery timeline would have Doncic miss the series entirely, even if it lasted seven games. But a combination of the Lakers’ first-round schedule and a sped-up recovery could see Doncic back on the floor in either Game 4 or 5. 

And with Reaves’ injury, which is expected to sideline him four to six weeks, about pain management in addition to recovery, a sped-up return in which he’s back on the floor in the earlier part of his recovery window could have him playing as soon as Game 5. 

There aren’t any guarantees Doncic and Reaves will be back during the Lakers-Rockets series — let alone be able to play at the MVP-caliber level Doncic was at and the All-Star level Reaves was showing before the injuries.

Reaves’ shooting after practices this week is providing optimism for a return.

More time will be good for Doncic and Reaves, even if some players said they don’t know how the schedule looks, with Rui Hachimura saying Wednesday, “I wasn’t looking at it, I’m not going to lie. … I’m just focused on this first game. So I haven’t really seen it.”

The overlooked benefit of the schedule is how it’ll help the rest of the Lakers as they hope to extend the season so the star guards can return.

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers shot more efficiently from the field after multiple days between games compared with one or zero days. 

Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia, all of whom will be counted on more offensively to start the series, were more productive offensively with two full days between games during the regular season compared with one or none.

And with Doncic and Reaves sidelined, the rest of the team will have to carry a heavier load — both in terms of minutes played and on-court responsibilities — which becomes more physically taxing the longer a series lasts. 

“Just seeing what days are available, getting extra work in,” Ayton said. “What’s the practice like? When do I have a free day for myself? Things like that. So I’m always looking at the schedule.”

During a series that’ll be defined by physicality and the ability to maintain focus when fatigue settles in against a Rockets team that led the league in offensive rebounding for the second year in a row, the Lakers will need as much time to rest, recover and adjust their game plans as they can get. 

Playing hard will be necessary. With narrow margins, they don’t have any other options. 

“That’s why the playoffs are so hard,” Ayton said. “You play these hard games, but we got enough time to rest up and rejuvenate ourselves to play hard again. That’s why they’re so tough to win games in the playoffs because we’re all alphas, and we bring it 110% every game. It’s gonna be fun.”

Even though the numbers don’t back it up, James is arguably the individual who’ll benefit the most, with the 41-year-old having to be back in the driver’s seat and at the forefront of the Lakers’ playoff hopes until they can get their star ball handlers back — if they’re able to extend the series long enough.

“He’s 41,” Redick said. “So any extra time off is good.”

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com