The Los Angeles Lakers suffered one of their worst losses of the season on Sunday night as they were blown out by the L.A. Clippers in their first game at Intuit Dome, being outplayed from the jump.
To make matters worse, Austin Reaves had to come out of the game late after banging knees and was clearly in pain as he sat on the bench to end the game.
Reaves has really come on in recent weeks since taking on more ball-handling responsibilities and given the Lakers’ lack of guard depth, they really cannot afford to have him miss significant time.
There was some good news after the game though as Reaves revealed that his knee was feeling OK and he expects to be on the court when the Lakers host the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
“I feel great,” Reaves said. “I’m preparing to play every game so if something happens between here and there then that’s what it is. But as of right now, I’m prepared to play.”
It’s possible that Reaves’ knee swells up and he winds up having to miss some time, but he is as tough as they come and will do everything possible to make sure he is on the floor for the Lakers on Tuesday night.
If Reaves is out though then Gabe Vincent would likely start and take on more point guard duties while Shake Milton would get back in the rotation as a guard off the bench.
Before he banged knees and left the game, Reaves played 34 minutes and finished with 14 points, two rebounds, three assists, one block and five turnovers while shooting 4-of-6 from the field.
Gabe Vincent praises Lakers teammate Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves is in the midst of a breakout season for the Lakers, recently putting up a career-high 38 points in a win over the Brooklyn Nets. After that game, Gabe Vincent shared praise for Reaves and his importance to the team’s success.
“Austin has been great night in and night out,” Vincent said. “It hasn’t just been his scoring, it’s been his facilitating, it’s been his leadership, his voice. Even defensively he’s been good, so Austin is taking a leap. He’s been carrying a lot of load for us.”
Like many people, Vincent has known for a long time what Reaves is capable of. And he is happy for the fourth-year guard to see it all coming together.
“I think we’ve all known Austin is a really, really good player. He’s been playing at a very high level so very grateful for him, appreciate his effort tonight and nights prior and we’ve gonna rely on him moving forward I’m sure.”
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