What happened to Austin Reaves? Latest injury update as Lakers suffer massive blow with guard's exit vs Clippers (Feb. 28)

LA Lakers' rising star Austin Reaves exited Friday's back-to-back game against the LA Clippers. Reaves exited after playing the first nine minutes and didn't return. According to the latest injury update, he suffered a right calf soreness. It's a massive blow for the Lakers as they were already missing Rui Hachimura, who sustained a right knee strain in Thursday's win over the Timberwolves.

Reaves, who is outplaying his four-year $53,827,872 contract this year, was a key component for the Lakers against the Clippers in a game where their stars, LeBron James and Luka Doncic, were seemingly fatigued. As the third option, Reaves shared the offensive burden with the duo with his scoring and playmaking ability.

LA needed that against the Clippers. With him out, things could get tricky despite the Purple and Gold leading the game. Reaves made 2 of 4 shots from 3 before his exit and had one block.

Another update on Austin Reaves surfaced after the injury was announced that he would undergo an MRI on Saturday. Reaves can miss multiple weeks of basketball, depending on the severity of the injury. According to NBA and NFL injury insider Dr. Evan Jeffries, Reaves could be out for up to two weeks if it's a Grade I, three to six weeks if it's Grade II and 10-12 weeks if it's a Grade III strain.

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JJ Redick provides major update on Austin Reaves' injury setback

JJ Redick provided a major update on Austin Reaves' injury setback after Friday's game, saying the Lakers held him out for precautionary reasons. He added the Reaves faced issues with 'calf tightness.' That's why the Lakers pulled him out. The Lakers struggled when Reaves left the game as the Clippers clamped down on LeBron James and Luka Doncic with their ball pressure.

Reaves could have helped share the burden. That allowed the Clippers to stay in the game in the second half. Nevertheless, James and Doncic kept their cool in that span while the defense remained top-notch. James finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds, while Doncic had 31 points despite shooting 9 of 22.

No other player scored in double digits for LA. It wasn't required either, as all the attention was on the defensive end, which helped the Lakers win 106-102. They are on a five-game winning streak, improving to 37-21 on the year and only game behind the second-placed Denver Nuggets.