Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15)
Austin Reaves has been on a shooting slump for the Los Angeles Lakers in their last two games. After going 3-of-16 for 11 points in Sunday’s win against the Philadelphia 76ers, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard improved slightly in L.A.’s last game. Reaves scored 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, but it was far from enough as the Lakers suffered a 132-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
The bad news is that Reaves is now dealing with an injury. He looked relatively fine against the Spurs, but it has now been revealed that the undrafted fifth-year guard will need to miss time due to a calf issue.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15)
Reaves is having a career year with the Lakers. In 21 games played, the former Oklahoma Sooners standout has produced averages of 27.8 points on 50.3% shooting, 5.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 36.9 minutes per contest. He has also knocked down 2.8 triples per game on a 36.9% clip.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Reaves’ hot streak has hit a road bump. The team announced on Friday that the 27-year-old has been diagnosed with a calf injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined for at least seven days.
Lakers reporter Dan Woike of The Athletic was among the first to break the news on social media.
“Lakers say guard Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a mild left calf strain. Reaves will be re-evaluated in approximately one week,” Woike posted on X.
This means that Reaves will miss at least two games for the Lakers. He will sit out on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns and Thursday against the Utah Jazz. Depending on how he progresses in the coming week, Reaves could have a chance to return on Saturday, Dec. 20, against the Los Angeles Clippers.
With Reaves out, players like Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and Gabe Vincent are likely to see an increase in their workload in the interim. Guys like Bronny James and Nick Smith could potentially be handed more minutes as well.
Wednesday’s NBA Cup loss to the Spurs saw L.A.’s record drop to 17-7. They will be eager to get back to winning ways when they return to action on Sunday in a road game against the Suns.
View post: Spurs Announce Victor Wembanyama News After Win Against LakersSan Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1).
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1).