The Los Angeles Lakers squared off against their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, and while the game was still in progress, the Lakers ended up a little more short-handed than before. Lakers starting guard Austin Reaves was ruled out for the remainder of the game against the Clippers due to a calf injury, as per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Coming into the game, the Lakers were already down one starter due to Rui Hachimura being ruled out due to a knee injury. Hachimura suffered the injury during the third quarter of the Lakers’ 111-102 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
He left the game and did not return, although Lakers head coach JJ Redick expressed optimism that the injury wasn’t severe. Dorian Finney-Smith got the start in Hachimura’s place against the Clippers.
The Lakers attention will now turn to Austin Reaves and finding out the severity of his calf injury. An updated prognosis likely won’t come until the weekend some time. The Lakers are scheduled to square off against the Clippers again on Sunday.
Since moving into the full-time point guard role earlier this season, Reaves has had a breakout season. He’s fully embraced being a primary ball-handler and decision-maker, while now settling in a third scoring option role alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Reaves has appeared in 51 games this season so far, at a little over 34 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 44.6 percent shooting from the field, 36 percent shooting from the three-point line and 86.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. His points, assists and steals are all career-highs.
Reaves dropped a career-high 45 points in a win against the Indiana Pacers on Feb.8, a game that neither James nor Doncic played. In the Lakers’ win against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, Reaves had a triple double with 26 points, ten rebounds and ten assists.
If Reaves’ calf injury causes him to miss extended time, that could be a major blow for the Lakers during the final stretch of the regular season. This story will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
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