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NBA Injury Report: What Happened to Austin Reaves? Lakers Suffer Another Scare in LeBron James’ Absence

Published 01/13/2024, 11:57 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers stepped on court against the Utah Jazz with a shorthanded side. The franchise superstar LeBron James missed out on the game with an ankle strain. Amid this testing time, the Lakers suffered yet another blow when the 25-year-old Austin Reaves succumbed to a minor accident on the court.

It has been that kind of season for the Lakers, where the players constantly appeared on the injury report. Gabe Vincent, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura are the constant customers listed on the report. However, when Hachimura finally returned to the court after missing 5 games, Reaves scared the Lakers Nation with a minor accident.

Amid LeBron James’ absence, Austin Reaves twists his ankle

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Following the disappointing loss against the Phoenix Suns, LeBron James was listed out for tonight’s game, owing to an ankle strain. But. surprisingly, the rest of the roster except Gabe Vincent was fit for the game.

USA Today via Reuters

But, it all came down to a particular moment where Reaves almost got himself out with an injury. Considering the fragile injury reports that the Lakers carry, it could have almost cost the remainder of the season.

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During the second half, when Reaves attempted for a jump shot, he accidentally twisted his ankle while stepping his foot on Jazz’s Kelly Olynyk. After the accident, Reaves struggled to walk for a bit, but he continued to stay on the court.

Despite the scary ankle twist, he went on to stay on the court and dropped 19 points in his 31-minute stay. However, it wasn’t enough for the Lakers to surpass the Jazz’s offense.

Following the loss, the Lakers continue to stay under .500. What went wrong with the team, following the In-Season Tournament glory?

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What went wrong with the Lakers?

Following their NBA Cup glory, nothing seems to going in their favor. In their last outing against the Phoenix Suns, NBA legend Gilbert Arenas pointed out that the Lakers picked a defensive line-up against a star-studded Suns line-up shooting prowess. He also stated that the LA side’s defense could only restrict its opponents, but failed to outscore them.

Similarly, it picked up a defensive line-up replacing LeBron James with D’Angelo Russell. While Russell dropped 39 points, the rest of the squad failed to support him and ended up succumbing to a 132-125 loss. Notably, Cam Reddish has been in a slump, as he failed to drop a single bucket in two consecutive games.

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What do you make of the injury-prone Lakers roster? Will they make it to the playoffs with the current team? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe