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Lakers guard Austin Reaves will miss no less than a month with a grade 2 pressure in his left calf, the staff introduced Friday, sooner or later after he left the sport towards the Houston Rockets at halftime.
Reaves, averaging profession highs in factors (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2), had already missed three video games with what the staff referred to as a “gentle” calf pressure. He returned off the bench whereas enjoying on a minutes restriction towards Phoenix on Dec. 23 and reprised his beginning position on Christmas Day in a loss to the Rockets. However after scoring 12 factors in quarter-hour within the first half, he was dominated out for the second half with “left calf soreness.”
Calf accidents have been main issues throughout the NBA since three stars — Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum — suffered Achilles tears throughout final 12 months’s playoffs. Haliburton and Lillard have beforehand handled calf accidents.
Lakers star guard Luka Doncic suffered a calf harm on Christmas Day final 12 months whereas with the Dallas Mavericks and missed two months, throughout which he was traded to the Lakers.
“I understand how it’s to go to a calf harm. It’s not enjoyable in any respect,” Doncic stated Thursday after the sport. “[I’ll] simply be there to help him. Take your time. Calves are harmful so take your time.”
The Lakers (19-10) are dropping their second-leading scorer at a essential time of the season. They’ve misplaced three consecutive video games, their solely dropping streak of the season, and their protection within the final 15 video games has been among the many worst within the league.
After the third consecutive blowout loss, coach JJ Redick questioned how a lot his gamers cared. He promised an “uncomfortable” movie session and staff assembly at apply on Saturday earlier than the Lakers face Sacramento at Crypto.com Area on Sunday.
After a troublesome stretch of the schedule that included eight out of 10 video games towards groups with profitable data, the Lakers have 4 of their subsequent 5 towards groups within the backside of the Western Convention standings. Exterior of a house sport towards the Jap Convention-leading Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, the Lakers play the Sacramento Kings, the Memphis Grizzlies (on Jan. 2 and 4) and at New Orleans on Jan. 6.
Reaves’ absence might lengthen till the start of the Lakers’ Grammy street journey that begins on Jan. 20 towards Denver.
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