Why is Austin Reaves not playing against Clippers? Lakers guard's absence from game explored (Mar. 2)

Austin Reaves is officially unavailable for the LA Lakers game against crosstown rivals, the LA Clippers, on Sunday. The Lakers, who are trying to win their sixth consecutive game, will be without Reaves and Jordan Goowdin on the court.

Lakers reporter Jovan Buha shared the news on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, announcing that Goodwin was out with a right ankle sprain and Reaves won't play due to a right calf strain.

Reaves played nine minutes in Friday's game, scoring six points, shooting 2-from-4 and blocking one shot. The veteran guard suffered a knee injury on Friday. The Lakers revealed that Reaves would be day-to-day, indicating he didn't suffer a serious injury.

Still, he will miss a crucial matchup against the Clippers as the Lakers try to beat them for the second time in 48 hours.

Austin Reaves has posted solid numbers this season, averaging 19.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 85.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Reaves is posting career-highs in minutes, points, assists, steals, and free-throw percentage. Even with LeBron James and Luka Doncic, the 26-year-old guard has remained an important asset for the Purple and Gold. He took over the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 20, scoring 32 points and dishing seven assists while shooting 9-from-21 from the field when neither James nor Doncic were available.

Austin Reaves' Lakers are in the middle of a 5-game winning streak

The LA Lakers are heating up at the right moment after an inconsistent start to the season. JJ Redick has turned this team into a potential contender, and not even Luka Doncic's defensive struggles have hurt the 17-time NBA champion.

Despite losing the first two games post-Doncic trade, the Lakers are on the right track, having won their last five games.

After the Trail Blazers duel in which Austin Reaves went off, the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves and LA Clippers. In their last six matchups, they haven't allowed opponents to score more than 102 points, which is a lot for the modern-day NBA.