The Los Angeles Lakers have been dealt a blow as Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury. He will be out for the remainder of the regular season.
Reaves underwent an MRI on his oblique/rib area Saturday. He was originally listed as questionable to play against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Reaves’ Injury Details
Sources have told ESPN that Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks with the injury. The injury occurred in the first half of the Lakers’ 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
Reaves explained that he felt something when he went back to get a rebound and overextended a little bit. He did return to the game, finishing with a team-high 15 points in 27 minutes.
Reaves required two MRI exams on the injury after the first one scanned the wrong area of his body. According to coach JJ Redick, the wrong area was scanned due to an error not on the Lakers’ end.
Lakers’ Resolve Remains Strong
Despite Reaves’ absence and Marcus Smart being day-to-day with groin and ankle injuries, coach JJ Redick affirmed the team’s strong resolve. Smart has missed the last six games.
Redick stated that their mission has not changed. He added that the team is going after the 3-seed and will try to win a playoff series.
LeBron James acknowledged the challenge of replacing Reaves’ impact. He said it’s always got to be a next-man-up mentality. James noted that the team would need a collective effort to do a little bit more and tighten up on the things that they do.
Playoff Implications for the Lakers
L.A. (50-27) currently holds a one-game lead on the No. 4 Denver Nuggets. They also have a two-game lead on the No. 5 Houston Rockets and a three-game lead on the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves with five games remaining.
The Lakers hold the tiebreaker against all three of those teams, having already won the season series against each of the others.
With both Doncic and Reaves unavailable, Redick indicated that the offensive burden would be divided among players such as LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton.
Doncic’s Injury Also Impacts Mavericks
The Lakers aren’t the only team dealing with injury woes. The Dallas Mavericks are reeling from Luka Doncic’s left hamstring strain diagnosis, which will sideline him indefinitely.
The team announced Friday that Doncic has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, an injury that typically involves a monthlong recovery. The Lakers have not provided a timetable for Doncic’s return beyond missing the rest of the regular season. The first round of the NBA playoffs begins in two weeks.
The Lakers have not provided a timetable for Doncic’s return beyond missing the rest of the regular season.
Both Reaves and Smart were not full participants in the team’s practice on SMU’s campus Saturday.