The Los Angeles Lakers were handed a serious reality check by the Oklahoma City Thunder, falling by 43 points on the road to the defending champions. To make matters worse, Luka Doncic left the game early with a left hamstring issue, but he wasn’t the only as Austin Reaves suffered a back injury in the first half.
The good news is Reaves returned to the game and didn’t seem to show any ill-effects in the second half, explaining that he wasn’t sure exactly what happened but he was fine after getting treatment at halftime.
“I just overextended a little bit, I don’t know what exactly happened,” Reaves said on Spectrum SportsNet. “But I got some treatment on it at halftime and was able to play, obviously a good sign.”
As Reaves noted, it was a good sign that he was able to play in the second half so by all means it seems to be a minor issue that won’t have to keep him out. Head coach JJ Redick also wasn’t quite sure what was the issue with Reaves’ back, but will see how he feels going forward.
“He was in a weird position stretching for a basketball, a loose ball, and just felt something intercostal, something in his back in between the ribs,” Redick said. “He was able to play through it and battled back. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
With the severity of Doncic’s injury unknown and the playoffs around the corner, the last thing the Lakers need is Reaves having to sit for any extended period. He has been outstanding all season long and the Lakers will be even more reliant on him in these final games if Doncic is out.
By all accounts, this is nothing to be worried about as he was able to continue playing with no issues, but he will certainly be monitored closely as the Lakers can’t afford to take any risks at this point of the season and the playoffs coming up quickly.
Marcus Smart nearing return for Lakers
There was a bit of positive news for the Lakers on the injury front regarding veteran guard Marcus Smart. He has missed the last six games with an ankle contusion, but looks to be nearing a return as he participated in on-court work and could be back for the team’s contest Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.
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