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The Lakers were left without one of their stars during their Christmas Day game with Kevin Durant and the Rockets on Thursday.
Austin Reaves, the lanky guard who has proven to be one of the league's most productive shot-makers throughout the 2025-26 season, was ruled out of the holiday showdown, dealing with a lower body injury that has caused him issues before.
Reaves' ailment was less than ideal for a Los Angeles side that struggled at points during Thursday's contest. His void was made all the more apparent as Lakers' shots clanked to start the second half.
With that, here's the latest on Reaves' injury and status going forward.
Austin Reaves injury update
Reaves enjoyed a glistening start to action on Christmas, tallying 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the first half. He ended the second quarter in style, swatting Amen Thompson's layup before seeing his 30-foot prayer spurn the basket.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for Reaves when he disappeared into the locker room. However, when the Lakers emerged from their siesta, Reaves was nowhere to be found. J.J. Redick replaced him in the lineup with Marcus Smart to start the third quarter, producing feelings of unease within Los Angeles' fanbase.
The news trickled out shortly thereafter. Reaves was ruled out with left calf soreness, spelling an end to his Christmas Day exploits. Reaves missed three straight games after being diagnosed with a mild left calf strain on Dec. 12.
Reaves played just 22 minutes in his return to action on. Dec. 23. Redick appears to be interested in reintroducing him into action slowly in an effort to prevent him from aggravating the malady.
Austin Reaves 2025-26 season stats
- 27.3 points per game
- 5.4 rebounds per game
- 6.5 assists per game
- 1.0 steals per game
- 0.2 blocks per game
- 3.3 turnovers per game
- 50.4 percent field goal shooting
- 36.4 percent 3-point shooting
- 87.3 percent free throw shooting
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