EL SEGUNDO — Lakers guard Austin Reaves will be sidelined for at least the next week – and presumably the team’s next two games – because of a calf injury.
The team announced on Friday afternoon that Reaves was diagnosed with a “mild” left calf strain and would be reevaluated in about one week.
The Lakers play the Phoenix Suns in Arizona on Sunday and the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Thursday.
They’ll return to Southern California for a matchup against the Clippers at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Saturday.
Reaves has had a career-best start to the season.
The 27-year-old guard is averaging career-highs in points (27.8), assists (6.7) and rebounds (5.6), playing in 21 of the Lakers’ 24 games, with the team getting off to a 17-7 start. He is shooting 50.3% from the field, 36.9% from 3-point range and 87.5% from the free-throw line.
Reaves is coming off back-to-back subpar performances.
He scored a season-low 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting to go with four assists in last Sunday’s road win against the Philadelphia 76ers before being held to 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, along with eight rebounds and seven assists, in Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
When asked how he felt physically after Wednesday’s game, Austin responded “good.”
“The reality is the guy carried us for six weeks and, that takes a toll on you,” Coach JJ Redick said of Reaves. “And he kept fighting and I appreciate that. But he’s gonna have a lot more great nights than frustrating nights.”