Austin Reaves Injury Update: Concerns grow as Lakers' star guard seemingly injures shooting hand 

Austin Reaves played well in the LA Lakers’ 126-106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. "AR" finished the game with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He went 10-for-17, including 4-for-7 from deep and made all four free throw attempts.

After the game, Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Woike reported the latest on the shooting guard:

“Austin Reaves had a large ice pack on his right wrist postgame tonight but said he was feeling better. Certainly shot it well against the Bucks - 10/17 from the field and 4/7 from three.”

The LA Lakers went into the showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks without LeBron James (groin), Rui Hachimura (knee), Maxi Kleber (injury recovery) and Jaxson Hayes (knee). Austin Reaves holding “a large ice pack” on his shooting hand is a concern for Laker Nation.

Luka Doncic is doing a yeoman’s job for the Lakers due to injuries to key players. A potential Reaves injury will add more to the Slovenian’s already full plate. Doncic tallied 45 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Together with Reaves, they couldn’t keep up with the Bucks, which surged past them in the second half.

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Austin Reaves recently returned from a calf injury

Austin Reaves played nine minutes on Feb. 28 against the LA Clippers. He finished that game with six points and one block before exiting with a calf injury. AR missed the next two games and returned to action on March 6 versus the New York Knicks.

Reaves did not shoot the ball well three games into his return. Against the Knicks, the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets, he tallied a 10-for-39 clip, including 6-for-19 deep.

The shooting guard seems to have gotten over the effects of the calf injury against the Bucks. He hit 58.8% (10-17) field goals, including 57.1% (4-7) of his free throws. Laker Nation will be hoping the large ice pack on his shooting hand was nothing more than postgame recovery.

JJ Redick announced on Thursday that LeBron James would also miss the game against the Denver Nuggets in less than 24 hours. The Lakers can’t afford an injury to Austin Reaves ahead of another marquee matchup against their rivals.