Is Austin Reaves playing tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks? Exploring Lakers star's status (March 20)

Austin Reaves wasn’t featured on the LA Lakers’ injury report for Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, Reaves has been sidelined and won't play for the Lakers for the second leg of a back-to-back after securing a convincing 120-108 win against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

Reaves played a key role in the win with 22 points, eighth assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block. The Lakers could feel the impact of Reaves' absence as they play on Thursday.

Austin Reaves has played in 61 games this season with averages of 19.6 points, 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. All of these are career-highs. He has also improved his defensive game. His steals per game have jumped to 1.2 from the 0.8 he averaged last season.

Reaves has played in eight straight games. He last dealt with a calf injury that ruled him out for a matchup against the LA Clippers on Mar. 2. He has been fairly healthy all season long and has missed just seven games.

Besides Reaves, the Lakers will be without LeBron James (groin injury), Maxi Kleber (right foot), Rui Hachimura (knee) and Trey Jemison III. Reaves and Luka Doncic both are however unavailable to lead the Lakers offense in James' absence. They have done a commendable job earlier and led the team to a three-game winning streak.

How has Austin Reaves fared against Milwaukee Bucks?

Austin Reaves has played the Milwaukee Bucks in six regular-season games where the LA Lakers went 3-3. He averaged 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in those games.

His best performance came during a 128-124 win on Mar. 26, 2024, when he had a triple-double of 29 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and two blocks. In the most recent game on Mar. 13, Reaves had 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

How and where to watch Milwaukee Bucks vs. LA Lakers?

The Milwaukee Bucks vs. LA Lakers game is scheduled to tip off at 10:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. The matchup will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network - Wisconsin and Spectrum SportsNet. Fans can also watch the game live on NBA League Pass and fuboTV.