Ahead of a pre-Christmas clash against another Western Conference playoff hopeful, the 15-13 Phoenix Suns, the 19-8 Los Angeles Lakers have been treated to some surprising injury news about a key star.
While five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic, the league’s leading scorer, has been ruled out with a left leg contusion, another critical Laker is making his comeback after a multi-game absence.
Per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register, guard Austin Reaves will make his return from a left calf strain injury that has cost him nearly two weeks of action.
The 6-foot-5 Oklahoma product, 27, has been sidelined since the Lakers’ 132-119 Emirates NBA Cup defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 10.
Through 21 healthy games for the Lakers, Reaves has looked like the team’s second All-Star, behind only Doncic. Reaves has been averaging career highs of 27.8 points (on .503/.369/.875 shooting splits), 6.7 dishes, and 5.6 boards, plus 1.0 swipes a night, in 36.9 minutes per. 21-time All-NBA power forward LeBron James, who’ll turn 41 in a week, missed the start of the season with a sciatica injury, and hasn’t quite looked like his standard self when both Reaves and Doncic suit up.
This story will be updated…