EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers returned to the practice floor Thursday before heading to Houston for Game 3 on Friday (5:30 PST tip-off), with key updates emerging from the team’s session.
After practice, Luka Dončić was seen getting in light work, going through jump shots at the Lakers’ practice facility as he continues progressing in his recovery from a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Luka Doncic doing some controlled, light movement shooting after practice under the watchful eye of Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean pic.twitter.com/dofhMZaUdx
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 23, 2026
While Dončić’s on-court activity remained limited, Jake LaRavia appears to have avoided a serious setback after tweaking his right ankle in the Lakers' 101-94 Game 2 win over the Rockets.
Head coach JJ Redick said LaRavia suffered only a minor sprain, and imaging showed no structural damage.
“He has a very, very low grade, minor, minor, minor ankle sprain,” Redick said. “The MRI came back clean, and he is day-to-day.”
That is encouraging news for the Lakers, who are already down Dončić and Austin Reaves. Redick added that the starting backcourt duos' statuses still remained the same and there have been no setbacks in their rehab.
The team also heard a strong message from starting center Deandre Ayton, who emphasized the importance of staying focused despite taking care of business at home with a 2-0 lead heading to Houston for the next two games.
“LeBron is making it very known not to get comfortable, and JJ as well,” Ayton said after practice. “So, don’t get too complacent. This is the playoffs. Anything happens and we wanna handle business, just like how we handled business here. Keep everything solid and take the stuff we did in the lab over there to use it.”
Ayton’s comments reflect the urgency and hyperfocus they praised in practice throughout the week prior to the playoffs.
L.A. heads into a tougher environment on the road in Houston, as the Rockets were one of just six teams in the NBA this season with at least 30 wins at home. The Rockets were 30-11 at the Toyota Center, which was the third best home record in the Western Conference.
With Dončić continuing light on-court work and LaRavia considered day-to-day, the Lakers appear to be trending in a positive direction health-wise entering Game 3. Still, the focus remains on carrying over the intensity and discipline that helped them protect home court.
The Lakers will now travel to Houston, where they’ll look to keep control and momentum of the series in a pivotal Game 3.