Lakers' Austin Reaves Out For Rest Of Regular Season With Oblique Strain

DALLAS — The Lakers will beryllium without their starting backcourt for nan remainder of nan regular play — 5 much games — aft Austin Reaves was diagnosed pinch a Grade 2 near oblique strain connected Saturday.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Reaves underwent an MRI exam connected his near olbique/rib area Saturday.

The squad learned earlier this week that Luka Doncic has a Grade 2 near hamstring strain and will beryllium retired for nan remainder of nan regular play — and possibly beyond.

The Lakers are besides dealing pinch an wounded to defender Marcus Smart, who has missed nan past six games because of a correct ankle contusion and is questionable for nan game.

“It’s it’s lingering soreness successful nan ankle,” Redick said.

Even pinch each of this, Redick said nan Lakers’ “mission hasn’t changed.”

“We want to get nan 3rd seed and we want to triumph a first-round series,” Redick said.

The Lakers are nan 3rd successful nan Western Conference, but Denver, Houston and Minnesota are wrong striking distance. The Lakers clasp nan tiebreaker complete each three.

They’ll effort to clasp connected to nan No. 3 seed complete nan last 5 games of nan regular play without Doncic, who leads nan NBA successful scoring (33.5 points per game) and is 4th successful assists (8.3).

“I cognize Luka’s gonna do everything he tin to get backmost connected nan court,” Redick said. “We don’t cognize what this betterment timetable looks like.”

The Lakers apt will person to thin much connected LeBron James, a domiciled nan 41-year-old is much than consenting to return on. James has been designated nan 3rd action down Doncic and Reaves yet has still averaged 20.6 points per game, 6.9 assists and 6.0 rebounds successful his 23rd season.

“It astir apt is going to look a small spot otherwise pinch Luka being out,” James said aft practice. “I’ll fig that retired and then, obviously, nan coaches will fig it retired arsenic well.”

The Lakers are making nan intelligence accommodation of playing without Doncic. After nan Mavericks, they’ll person reliable games against Oklahoma City, Golden State and Phoenix earlier finishing against lowly Utah.

“I mean, it’s a situation for us,” James said. “It’s ever sewage to beryllium a next-man-up [mentality]. But there’s nary measurement you tin switch that type of impact. So, it’s going to beryllium a corporate group. We each person to fig retired a measurement to do a small spot more. But moreover now, you sewage to beryllium moreover much tightened up connected nan things that we do. When you suffer a typical subordinate for illustration that, you can’t person arsenic galore mistakes. So, we sewage to fig that out.”

For Redick, speaking for nan first clip since news of Doncic’s injury, he had to cheque connected nan somesthesia of his squad to make judge his group was successful nan correct space.

The believe Saturday connected nan field of Southern Methodist helped.

“I deliberation making judge that everybody’s successful nan correct framework of mind, first of all, and past you cognize we worked connected conscionable violative stuff, conscionable cleaning up immoderate worldly and being really definitive pinch what we want to run,” Redick said. “Did immoderate violative breakdown. It was decidedly much of an violative day.

“We did activity connected defense to commencement nan practice, but that’s again that’s nan superior benignant of focus. How do we score, really do we people efficiently, and our defense again is, it’s we’re interchangeable. We’ve been interchangeable now for two-and-a half-months.”

James controversy

James created a spot of contention erstwhile he said connected “Bob Does Sports” YouTube video that Memphis should relocate to Nashville.

“I’m not for illustration nan first feline to moreover talk astir it successful nan NBA. We each like, ‘You guys person to move. Just spell complete to Nashville,” James said.

James, erstwhile asked if he wanted to explain his remarks, past mentioned Milwaukee besides arsenic 1 of his slightest favourite cities.

“I said Milwaukee arsenic well,” James said. “I’m 41 years aged (and) there’s 2 cities I do not for illustration playing successful correct now — and that’s Milwaukee and that’s Memphis. What is your problem pinch it? I don’t for illustration going location [to Cleveland] either. … And I’m from there. People are ridiculous. They besides get huffy astatine my boy [Bronny James] being connected nan [Lakers] team, too.

“So, what are we talking about? People request to fig retired different ways to put their power to different things that’s important. Like, seriously? I’m not talking astir nan city, for illustration nan group successful Memphis. I don’t for illustration staying astatine nan Hyatt Centric [hotel]. What’s incorrect pinch that? Nothing. What are we talking about? What are we talking about? People request to chill nan hellhole out.”