Austin Reaves rolled his right ankle in the LA Lakers' loss to the Bulls but played through it, with reports suggesting he's likely to be available for the next game.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves delivered a strong performance on Thursday night, scoring 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting in a narrow 119-117 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
However, the last-second defeat wasn't the only setback—Reaves also suffered an ankle injury, the same one he previously sprained and missed games for.
With 6:04 left in the fourth quarter, Reaves rolled his right ankle while driving to the basket. Despite the injury, he played through the final buzzer. Jovan Buha of The Athletic later offered a reassuring update.
"It looked pretty bad, and then he continued playing, so maybe that's something to monitor for Saturday's game, but as of now, it seems like he's going to be okay and be able to play through that," Buha said on his latest podcast. "That's my current read."
"I don't think Austin is that hurt, to my knowledge," the beat writer added.
This season, Reaves is averaging 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists over 65 games.
"Just wanted to be there for my teammates," Reaves said after the loss. "It's not the first time I've rolled my ankle, it won't be the last. I like playing."
The LA Lakers, now 44-29, sit as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. They'll wrap up their four-game road trip on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies—a team they are currently tied with in the standings.
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