Austin Reaves Done for Regular Season — MRI Controversy Between Lakers and Mavs

Austin Reaves is done for the rest of the regular season and expected to miss the start of the NBA playoffs after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain. He's looking at 4-6 weeks on the shelf.

Reaves initially tweaked his left side during the Lakers' 139-96 blowout loss to OKC on Thursday. He went to the locker room, came back, and finished with 15 points in 27 minutes — which in hindsight was probably a mistake. The oblique got worse and now he's shut down.

But the wildest part of this story is the MRI drama. JJ Redick went on record saying the Mavericks medical staff "scanned the wrong area" when Reaves first got an MRI. Dallas fired back, saying "Our medical team followed standard imaging protocols based on the information provided at the time. There was no error in the scan performed." Redick says he just wants to move on. The Lakers, already without Luka (hamstring) and now Reaves, are sliding — they just lost the No. 3 seed to Denver and look vulnerable heading into the playoffs.