The Los Angeles Lakers are on the second night of a back-to-back, following a 111-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night. The victory marked their fourth straight, improving their record to 36-21 as they head into Friday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.

After a slow start in the first quarter, the Lakers settled in and took the lead early in the second, heading into halftime with the help of 40-year-old LeBron James, who tallied 17 points in 18 minutes of action.

However, after stepping off the floor for just nine minutes of action, speculation grew about the condition of Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who ended up heading to the locker room. 

It was soon revealed by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the Lakers have officially ruled him out for the game due to right calf soreness and he will reportedly undergo an MRI on Saturday. 

Reaves has become the third key piece of the Lakers’ trio, complementing LeBron James and Luka Doncic. He’s coming off a strong 23-point performance against Minnesota, where he also added six rebounds and five assists.

This season, the former undrafted guard is enjoying the best year of his career, averaging 19.2 points, 6.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. He’s also shooting 44.6% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15), forward LeBron James (23)

© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This news comes less than 24 hours after the Lakers lost Rui Hachimura to an injury, which head coach JJ Redick suggested wasn’t too serious. However, Hachimura missed Friday’s game, and now the concern shifts to Reaves, who would be a significant loss for a Lakers team that has been playing at an extremely high level over the past two months.