Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves underwent an MRI on Saturday which revealed no serious injury to his right calf, according to Shams Charania. Reaves will be listed as day-to-day and could play as soon as Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Late in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 106-102 win over the Clippers on Friday, the first of two consecutive games between the clubs, Reaves checked out and did not return. Lakers coach JJ Redick said that Reaves was removed from the game as a precaution after feeling tightness in his calf.
Even if Reaves ends up missing a few games, this is great news for the surging Lakers. Now in his fourth season with the team, Reaves has established himself as their third-best player behind LeBron James and the recently-acquired Luka Doncic.
In 53 appearances this season, Reaves is averaging 19 points, six assists, four rebounds and a steal, while shooting 36% from 3-point range. His scoring, assist and steal marks are all career bests. With Reaves on the floor this season, the Lakers have a plus-4.3 net rating, and without him that figure drops to minus-3.7. Only Dorian Finney-Smith, who has played just 23 games with the Lakers, has a better on-off differential.
“I think he’s been as important as any player on our team,” Redick said in February after Reaves scored a career-high 45 points in a win over the Indiana Pacers. “When he was out with his glute, back from the fall, that sort of locked his body up. It was very noticeable that he was out of the lineup. And sometimes it’s noticeable when he’s not on the court when he’s just sitting on the bench. I mean, he really gives us a lot of pop.”
The Lakers have won five games in a row and 15 of their last 18 to climb to fourth place in the Western Conference standings at 37-21. Entering Saturday’s slate, they were just one game behind the second-place Memphis Grizzlies, and have a very real chance to grab the No. 2 seed.