The Los Angeles Lakers received good news on the injury front on Saturday, March 1 as Austin Reaves‘s MRI result on his right calf came out negative, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
“Lakers guard Austin Reaves will be day-to-day after MRI on his right calf revealed no serious injury, sources tell ESPN. His status is uncertain for Sunday against the Clippers, but great development overall after Reaves exited early in Friday’s win,” Charania wrote in a post on X.
Reaves, the Lakers’ third-leading scorer, was ruled out after only playing nine minutes in the Lakers’ 106-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, Feb. 28. He left the game with six points on 2-of-4 shooting and one block.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said Reaves exited in the first quarter as a precautionary measure.
“He was experiencing some tightness in the calf, some soreness,” Redick told reporters after the game. “Was held out as a precaution.”
Dr. Evan Jeffries, an NBA and NFL injury expert and owner of the San Diego-based Evolving Motion Physical Therapy, wrote on X that he “still expect [Reaves] to be sidelined for a couple of days, possibly a week, as a precaution.”
This marks the first time in Reaves’ NBA career that he is dealing with a calf injury.
Reaves is on the midst of his best season in the NBA, averaging 19.1 points on 45/36/87 shooting split with 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals, all career highs, and 4.2 rebounds.
Rui Hachimura To Be Re-Evaluated After a Week
Meanwhile, Rui Hachimura has been diagnosed with patella tendonopathy on his left knee, Redick told reporters after the win. But Redick sounded optimistic before the game.
“We’re optimistic this is not a serious injury,” Redick said of Hachimua’s injury. “It’s still not quite clear on when he will be available to play. But we’re optimistic.”
Redick added Hachimura will be re-evaluated after a week.
Hachimura sustained the injury during their 111-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Without their two key starters on the second night of a back-to-back schedule, the Lakers banked on their stellar defense and the star duo of LeBron James and birthday boy Luka Dončić for firepower.
Dončić celebrated his 26th birthday with 31 points, 10 in the fourth quarter that sealed the Lakers’ 15th win over their last 18 games, and five assists.
Reflecting on the whirlwind year that brought him from Dallas to Los Angeles, Dončić could not ask for more for his birthday.
“It’s all good,” Dončić told reporters. “I’m happy. That’s all that matters. I have a little daughter. My family’s good, the people around me are good so that’s everything I want.”
The Lakers finished the month of February with a strong 10-2 record and 6-2 since Dončić joined them after the most shocking trade in NBA history.
LeBron James Enters MVP Conversation
James continued his strong season 28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and a steal. He shot an efficient 12-of-21 from the field as his life became easier playing with Dončić, another high-IQ playmaker.
The 40-year-old James has entered the MVP conversation, ranking fifth in the NBA.com’s Kia MVP Ladder behind Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic.
James is averaging 28.1 points, 8.6 assists, 8.1 rebounds and nearly a steal per game while shooting 52.1% from the field and 39.5% from the 3-point line.
With James still among the elite players in his 22nd season, the Lakers are in a strong position to get a homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Their gritty win over the Clippers have pushed their record to 37-21, trailing the third seed Memphis Grizzlies (38-21) by only half-game and the second seed Denver Nuggets (39-21) by one game.
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