Lakers’ Austin Reaves suffers injury against Thunder

After taking a Embarrassing defeat by beating against the Phoenix Suns On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers look to get back on track in the NBA Cup on Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Unfortunately for JJ Redick and company, they are currently trying to get the job done against one of the best teams in the Western Conference without one of their best players. In the second quarter, starting point guard Austin Reaves went to the locker room after having a terrifying fall after going up for a layup.

Reaves left the game just before halftime with what was described as a back injury. He he didn’t come out again for the second half with the rest of the team, according to Underdog NBA.

D’Angelo Russell started the third quarter instead of Reaves.

Fortunately for the Lakers, Reaves returned to the bench a few minutes into the third quarter and quickly returned to the game. As the Lakers and Thunder go back and forth in a pivotal NBA Cup game, Reaves gives the Lakers a secondary ball handler who can score the ball off the dribble and also make shots from the outside.

Unfortunately, Reaves is not having his best night before or after the injury. As the third quarter winds down, Reaves is just 2 of 8 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range with seven points, but his court presence remains a major asset for the Lakers.

Anthony Davis hasn’t had a great night scoring the ball, but he does have a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds at the end of the third quarter. This was a bit of a sloppy game between two physical teams that are making things difficult for each other on the offensive end. For a Lakers team that has struggled on the defensive end this season, it will be a pleasant surprise for JJ Redick and company.