Lakers Lose Reaves for Rest of Regular Season — Playoff Hopes in Jeopardy

The Lakers cannot catch a break. Shams Charania reported Saturday that Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and is done for the rest of the regular season, expected to miss four to six weeks. That means both of LA's leading scorers — Reaves and Luka Doncic (hamstring) — are expected to be sidelined to begin the NBA playoffs.

LA's lead for the 3-seed is down to a half-game over Denver, who just won eight straight. The Nuggets are red-hot and have Jokic playing like a man possessed. Meanwhile, the Lakers are about to limp into the postseason relying on a 41-year-old LeBron James to carry the offense. We've seen LeBron do superhuman things in the playoffs before, but asking him to do it without his two best running mates is another level of difficulty.

If the Lakers slip to the 4-seed or lower, they could face a brutal first-round matchup. The Western Conference is a bloodbath with San Antonio (59-19) and OKC at the top, and there's no easy path for a hobbled LA squad. The next week and a half will tell us everything about whether this season ends in heartbreak or heroics.