The Los Angeles Lakers introduced on Saturday that Austin Reaves will miss the rest of the regular season with a Grade 2 oblique strain.
The information is a devastating blow to a Lakers workforce that’s already taking part in the the rest of the regular season without injured All-Star and MVP candidate Luka Dončić, who’s sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
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The Lakers will now play the rest of the regular season with out their high two scorers. They have 5 video games remaining on their schedule. Dončić is reportedly out indefinitely, and his standing for a first-round playoff collection is unclear.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Reaves is predicted to miss 4-6 weeks with his damage, projecting to sideline him for any first-round playoff collection and presumably past that if the Lakers advance out of the first spherical. The playoffs are scheduled to start out on April 18.
Reaves sustained the damage throughout Thursday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the same game in which Dončić was injured.
The Lakers have been beforehand ready outcomes of an MRI examination earlier than figuring out Reaves’ standing. According to head coach JJ Redick, a second MRI was obligatory as a result of the Dallas Mavericks scanned the flawed space after they carried out imaging on Reaves. The Lakers are in Dallas for a recreation in opposition to the Mavericks on Sunday.
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The Lakers entered Saturday in third place in the West at 50-27, one recreation forward of the Denver Nuggets, two video games forward of the Houston Rockets and 4 video games forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The high 4 groups in the convention will have home-court benefit in the first spherical of the playoffs.
Reaves, 27, is in the midst of a career-best season. He’s averaging 23.3 factors, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per recreation whereas capturing 49% from the discipline and 36% from 3. He’s change into a go-to scoring choice on a roster that options Dončić and LeBron James. The Lakers will be at a big drawback so long as he and Dončić stay out.