Lakers' Austin Reaves will miss rest of the season with an oblique strain

The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Saturday that Austin Reaves will miss the rest of the regular season with a Grade 2 oblique strain.

The news is a devastating blow to a Lakers team that’s already playing the remainder of the regular season without injured All-Star and MVP candidate Luka Dončić, who’s sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

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The Lakers will now play the rest of the regular season without their top two scorers. They have five games remaining on their schedule. Dončić is reportedly out indefinitely, and his status for a first-round playoff series is unclear.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Reaves is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with his injury, projecting to sideline him for any first-round playoff series and likely beyond that if the Lakers advance out of the first round.

The Lakers were previously waiting results of an MRI exam before determining Reaves’ status. According to head coach JJ Redick, a second MRI was necessary because the Mavericks scanned the wrong area when they performed imaging on Reaves.

Marcus Smart’s availability for Sunday’s game will also be determined some time before tip-off. Smart has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Goga Bitadze fell on him during the Lakers’ 105-104 win over the Orlando Magic on March 21. Redick said the right hip contusion Smart also sustained is no longer an issue.