Lakers Provide Significant Update on Austin Reaves’ Calf Injury

His status against the Clippers is uncertain for Sunday. 

In all likelihood, the Lakers will be without Reaves for their game on Sunday, but at best, he will be listed as questionable for L.A.'s game on Tuesday against the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. 

Reaves left Friday's game in the first quarter due to right calf soreness. Reaves played just nine minutes. The star guard leaves the game with six points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field. All his attempts came from the three-point arc.

Reaves went to the locker room after playing nine minutes in the first quarter.

The 26-year-old has been stellar for the Lakers and has had his best season as a pro. In his fourth season, he is averaging career highs across the board, tallying 19.2 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.1 steals in 51 games and 34.7 minutes of action.

The Arkansas native has played like the Lakers' best player at times. Head coach JJ Redick has given him the freedom to play how he wants, and he's thrived thus far.

Reaves has been relatively healthy throughout his career. However, he did suffer a pelvic issue at the beginning of the season when he fell hard against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He missed five games due to that injury. 

The Lakers cannot afford to miss anyone else for significant time as L.A. will already be without their starting forward Rui Hachimiura for some time. After suffering a left patella tendinopathy, the team will reassess him in a week. 

The Lakers have arguably been the hottest team in the league for the past six weeks or so. In that span, they've won 17 of their past 21 games to surge to No. 4 in the Western Conference standings, just a half-game behind the No. 3 Memphis Grizzlies and a game back of the No. 2 Denver Nuggets.

After the game, LeBron James said he loves where the team is at, but he and L.A. are striving for more. 

"We're in a good place, but we're not comfortable at all," James said. "We haven't played our best game we're capable of playing, honestly. We have a couple injuries and things of that nature that we need to attend to as well. And that's always very important to be able to keep it going in this league to have that type of luck too. So we'll see what happens."

The Lakers have a demanding schedule in March. 

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