Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves will return from a 19-game absence on Tuesday vs. the Brooklyn Nets. Reaves has been sidelined since Christmas by a calf strain. JJ Redick said the star guard will come off the bench with a minutes restriction during his first game back.
Reaves was playing at an All-Star level before his injury. The 27-year-old averaged 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists on .507/.365/.873 shooting splits across 23 appearances to start the season.
Los Angeles posted a 19-10 record during that span.
Austin Reaves returning from multi-month absence vs. Nets
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Lakers guard Luka Doncic (left) and guard Austin Reaves (15) interact before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Lakers have struggled to find their rhythm with Reaves sidelined, posting a 10-9 record over their last 19 games. They rank 11th in offense, 21st in defense and 17th in net rating (-0.3) during that span.
The stretch has dropped Los Angeles to sixth place in the Western Conference. They are tied with the Phoenix Suns but hold the sixth seed by virtue of a tiebreaker. Redick's squad is a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for fifth.
Reaves will attempt to help the Lakers secure a win in Brooklyn as they close out an eight-game road trip.