LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers announced Saturday that guard Austin Reaves has suffered a Grade 2 oblique muscle injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season, joining teammate Luka Doncic on the sidelines.
Both Reaves and Doncic sustained their injuries during Thursday’s matchup in Oklahoma City, creating a major setback for the Lakers (50-27) as they prepare for the postseason. Doncic will be unavailable for a minimum of two weeks after pulling his left hamstring during the team’s decisive defeat to the Thunder.
The two players were hurt in the opening half of Thursday’s contest but continued playing. Doncic received his diagnosis Friday for what marks his second major hamstring problem, while Reaves underwent an MRI Saturday before the Lakers declared him unavailable. The team faces Dallas on Sunday.
Medical experts typically expect both types of injuries to require a month or longer for complete recovery, though the Lakers have not made any predictions about player availability beyond their next five contests.
Reaves has emerged as a premier NBA offensive threat and has served as a crucial scoring complement to Doncic and LeBron James throughout the Lakers’ championship pursuit of the Pacific Division crown. The previously undrafted player is posting averages of 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds across 51 appearances in his fifth Lakers campaign.
The guard previously sat out 19 contests following a Christmas Day left calf strain. His scoring average would rank him 11th in the league if he had met the minimum games requirement.
Los Angeles has captured 16 victories in their past 19 outings to climb into third place in the Western Conference standings. Playoff action commences in two weeks.
Prior to learning the full extent of Reaves’ condition, Lakers head coach JJ Redick addressed media members in Dallas on Saturday, emphasizing the team’s continued focus despite Doncic’s absence.
“Our mission, it hasn’t changed,” Redick said. “The rest of these guys and my staff, we’re going after the 3-seed, and we’re going to try to win a playoff series.”
Following his breakthrough offensive performance in his first complete season playing alongside Doncic, Reaves will have the opportunity to negotiate a substantial contract extension this summer if he opts out of his player option for the 2026-27 campaign as anticipated. Both Reaves and the Lakers organization expect him to remain with the franchise.
The Lakers will conclude their regular season schedule on April 12 when they host Utah at home.
