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Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of his left gastrocnemius muscle and will be sidelined for at least four weeks, according to NBA insider Shams Charania. The Lakers later officially confirmed the report, noting that Reaves will be re-evaluated after the four-week period.
Shams posted on X that Reaves has been diagnosed with a grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain and will be reevaluated in four weeks.
Reaves suffered the injury during the Lakers’ Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets, exiting in the second half after logging limited minutes. He finished the game with 12 points, one rebound, and one assist in the 119–96 defeat.
The absence is a significant blow for Los Angeles. This season, Reaves has played in 23 games, averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. Based on the current timeline, he is expected to miss approximately 14 additional games. When combined with the six games he has already missed, Reaves will fall short of the minimum games required, making him ineligible for end-of-season awards.




