The Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff hopes suffer another major setback with Austin Reaves ruled out for the regular season due to a muscle injury.
LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff preparations have been dealt a second major blow in as many days. Star guard Austin Reaves has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury.
This follows Friday’s announcement that fellow star Luka Doncic will also miss the rest of the regular campaign with a hamstring strain. The team confirmed Reaves would not return before the postseason, offering no specific timetable for his recovery.
The injuries are a devastating setback for the Lakers’ championship aspirations. Reaves and Doncic were instrumental in the team’s recent surge, leading them to 15 wins in 17 games during March.
That run propelled the Lakers into third place in the Western Conference. Their momentum was brutally halted in a 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, a game which saw both stars injured.
The Lakers, with a 50-27 record, have five regular season games remaining. They begin this stretch with a road game against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.