DALLAS (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers received devastating news when they learned Austin Reaves would miss the remainder of the regular season, adding to their woes after already knowing Luka Doncic’s injury would sideline him indefinitely.
LeBron James discovered the extent of Reaves’ left oblique strain after waking up from a nap, having already processed the grim news about Doncic’s left hamstring injury. Doncic currently leads the NBA in scoring.
“It was a shot to the heart and to the chest and the main frame with Luka, and we got that news kind of quick,” James commented following the Lakers’ 134-128 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday evening. “And (Reaves), he’s kind of dealing with the pain, we’re saying, ‘OK, whatever the case may be.’”
“I woke up from my nap yesterday and then saw that news, I was like … (expletive),” James added, taking a lengthy pause before completing his statement.
The playoff-bound Lakers must now rely heavily on James as their main offensive weapon and court general, despite the 41-year-old veteran completing his historic 23rd NBA campaign.
James delivered 30 points and 15 assists versus Dallas but faltered during the fourth quarter after igniting a second-quarter comeback. He managed just 2 of 7 field goals in the final 12 minutes and missed both free throw attempts with his team trailing by eight points and 3:50 left on the clock.
“I think we have to be mindful of that. I think that’s a valid question,” head coach JJ Redick stated before the contest. “For all our guys, him included, we want to put them in positions to be successful. Certain guys are gonna be tasked with doing stuff they haven’t done a lot of this year.”
Both Doncic and Reaves, who serves as LA’s second-leading scorer, sustained their injuries during Thursday night’s lopsided defeat to Oklahoma City.
Doncic remains central to these discussions as an MVP contender who will conclude the season one game shy of the 65-game minimum required for eligibility for that honor and other end-of-season accolades.
“I just know that he’s gonna do everything he can to try to be back,” Redick explained. “I talked to him Friday, I talked him again (Saturday), I talked with him again (Sunday) morning. He’s gonna go through all the necessary things to be back at some point, and it’s our job again to extend the season so that both those guys can get back.”
ESPN reported Sunday that Doncic plans to travel to Europe for specialized hamstring treatment, according to his representative Bill Duffy from WME Basketball.
Redick discussed implementing a point guard rotation system, made essential by Marcus Smart’s absence due to a right ankle injury. The coach mentioned LeBron’s son Bronny James among potential contributors, alongside Luke Kennard, Nick Smith Jr., and rarely-used Kobe Bufkin.
Kennard achieved his first career triple-double with 15 points, a personal-best 16 rebounds, and 11 assists, though he struggled offensively against Dallas, connecting on just 5 of 17 attempts. Among Redick’s other options, only Bronny James logged significant minutes, contributing five points across nine minutes of action.
“I think simplicity wins,” Redick noted. “It’s nothing too crazy. But it’s just being really simple with the menu and hopefully over the next five games, we can really figure out what works for this group. And that’s obviously trial and error.”
James recorded a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in their recent win over Washington when Doncic was suspended for one game after accumulating his 16th technical foul of the season.
Sunday’s loss dropped Los Angeles into a third-place deadlock with Denver in the Western Conference standings. Fifth-seeded Houston could potentially challenge for first-round home-court advantage, especially given the Lakers’ current injury troubles.
Rui Hachimura contributed 12 of his 21 points during the opening quarter against Dallas, who established a 22-point halftime advantage before withstanding James’ impressive performance and 23 points from reserve center Jaxson Hayes.
Los Angeles shot 52% while recording 36 assists, falling just two short of their season-high mark, but allowed Dallas to match that same 52% shooting percentage. The Mavericks, typically among the league’s poorest three-point shooting teams, connected on 14 of 32 attempts (44%).
“We’ve got a week left of the regular season and then a week to prepare and we’ve gotta have the commitment to do it on both ends,” Redick said following the game. “That’s the reason that we’ve put ourselves in the position to be in the playoffs is because we became a really good offensive team and a really good defensive team. So it’s gotta be the commitment to both ends.”
