Lakers' Reaves out rest of regular season with oblique injury

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves will miss the remainder of the regular season after suffering a left oblique muscle injury. ESPN first reported the injury on Saturday, with the franchise confirming it later. Reaves faces a recovery timeline of 4-6 weeks as the Lakers hold five games before the playoffs.

Reaves, an undrafted free agent who joined the Lakers before the 2021-22 season out of Oklahoma and Wichita State, has become a key contributor. The 27-year-old earned a starting role in his third season with the team. The news arrived one day after the Lakers also ruled out Luka Doncic for the rest of the regular season due to a left hamstring strain; Doncic had been in the NBA MVP conversation and scored 600 points in March.

Reaves has appeared in 51 games this season, averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. He logged 27 minutes during the Lakers' 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.

Lakers coach J.J. Redick said earlier Saturday: "Our mission, it hasn’t changed. The rest of these guys and my staff, we’re going after the 3-seed, and we’re going to try to win a playoff series." The Lakers face the Dallas Mavericks on the road Sunday and close the regular season April 12 against the Utah Jazz. Reaves qualifies for a contract extension this offseason if he declines his player option for 2026-27, with reports indicating he plans to do so.