Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers has been upgraded to 'questionable' for game three of the Lakers' NBA playoff series against the Phoenix Suns after being sidelined by an oblique muscle strain

Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - The Los Angeles Lakers, up 2-0 on the Houston Rockets in their first-round NBA playoff series, could have Austin Reaves back from injury in game three.

Reaves has been sidelined by an oblique muscle injury since April 4, a devastating late-season blow to a Lakers team that also saw league-leading scorer Luka Doncic sidelined with a hamstring strain.

Nevertheless, with 41-year-old LeBron James leading the charge, the Lakers won the first two games at home in their best-of-seven Western Conference series and will try to press their advantage as the series shifts to Houston on Friday.

Reaves, who averaged a career-high 23.3 points per game in the regular season, was upgraded to “questionable” on the Lakers’ Thursday evening injury report, and Rockets star Kevin Durant was downgraded to “questionable” with a sprained left ankle.

Durant, who arrived in Houston from Phoenix last July as part of a blockbuster seven-team deal, was a late scratch from game one with a bruised knee.

He returned for game two but struggled in the second half, scoring just three of his team-high 23 points after the break and finishing with nine turnovers as the Lakers double-teamed him relentlessly.

The series was billed as a renewal of the James-Durant rivalry, which stretches back to 2008 and includes three clashes in the NBA Finals.