The Los Angeles Lakers announced that guard Austin Reaves (left calf strain) is out but Luka Doncic (left ankle soreness) is available for Friday night’s game against the Washington Wizards.
Reaves has been out since Christmas Day due to the injury and the organization will continue to be cautious as he nears a return. This was the first game he was upgraded to questionable for since being out, but it appears he still needs some more time.
The calf injury initially kept Reaves out for two weeks before he attempted to return, but the guard lasted just two games before being shut down for an extended period. He has missed the last 17 games with the Lakers boasting a 9-8 record in those contests.
Prior to the injury, Reaves was performing at an All-Star level in his best season yet. Taking on more of a primary role alongside Doncic, Reaves is averaging career-highs of 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists this season while shooting 50.7% from the field, 36.5% from 3-point range and 87.3% from the free throw line on nearly nine attempts per game.
His return has been greatly anticipated by his teammates and hopefully will allow this Lakers team to finally start coming together with a healthy roster once he is back.
Doncic suiting up is good news and means the injury scare he had in Cleveland really is a minor one. Luka turned his ankle after shooting a 3-pointer in the Lakers’ loss Wednesday night to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have the only raised court in the NBA and Doncic slipped while drifting back, unaware of the drop. After going to the locker room, Doncic was able to finish out the game.
With Reaves still out, the Lakers will obviously be leaning on Doncic and LeBron James as their primary ball-handlers against a Wizards team that has actually been playing well as of late. Others like Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura will need to continue stepping up as well.
Lakers discussing ‘general framework’ of deal for Cavaliers’ De’Andre Hunter
The NBA trade deadline is now less than a week away and the Lakers continue to look for upgrades to their roster. One possibility is Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter and the two sides are reportedly already discussing the general parameters of a possible trade.
If a deal gets completed, it would likely involved a third team to take on Hachimura and Dalton Knecht, according to reports.
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