Already missing Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers’ late-season injury report moved from concerning to absurd territory on Saturday when head coach JJ Redick revealed that Austin Reaves will be sidelined with a Grade 2 oblique injury.
Redick also mentioned that Reaves was forced to undergo multiple MRI exams to diagnose the injury after the Dallas Mavericks’ medical staff scanned the wrong area.
Imaging Blunder Causes Delay in Austin Reaves’ Injury Diagnosis
Reaves suffered the injury during a 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, and he’s expected to miss four-to-six weeks. This comes after the Lakers saw Dončić go down with a Grade 2 hamstring strain during the same game, and he’s now out indefinitely.
Playing 27 minutes in the loss, Reaves managed 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.
During his media availability on Saturday, a visibly frustrated Redick detailed what happened with Reaves’ initial tests and who was responsible for the error.
“The second [MRI] was today. Again, I don’t know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but they scanned the wrong area. Not on our end. We made it explicit what was supposed to be scanned, but they scanned the wrong area,” Redick said.
“The second [MRI] was today. Again, I don’t know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but uh they scanned the wrong area. Not on our end. We made it explicit what was supposed to be scanned but they scanned the wrong area.” JJ Redick on Austin Reaves’ MRI https://t.co/JweK8oI1aZ pic.twitter.com/SPcM0hvb0v
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 4, 2026
The Lakers are in Dallas for Sunday’s road game against the Mavericks, which is why the Mavs were involved in his imaging.
Reaves has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season and, with the NBA Playoffs starting on April 18, he’ll likely be out for at least part of the postseason as well.
Redick’s comments on the botched imaging process immediately drew reactions from the NBA world, with some questioning how such a mistake could happen.
MORE: Lakers’ NBA Champion Offers to ‘Come Out of Retirement’ After Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves Injuries
“Dereck lively nodding annoyed,” podcast host Kirk Henderson wrote.
“Yikes,” professor of orthopedic surgery at UCSF Dr. Nirav Pandya wrote.
“What the heck?” Dallas Morning News sports reporter Brad Townsend wrote.
“they tried sabotaging his MRI??? 😭,” one influencer reacted.
they tried sabotaging his MRI??? 😭 https://t.co/vObNqvzMkQ
— kam (@kampagnepapi) April 4, 2026
“Nico [Harrison] runs imaging now,” editor Kevin R. Tipple wrote.
Before the injury, Reaves was averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds across 51 games this season. He shot 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from 3-point range during his fifth professional campaign.
The Lakers’ offense operated heavily through Reaves during his 34.5 minutes per game.
With Reaves and Dončić out of the picture and five regular-season games left, it is all hands on deck for LeBron James and the Lakers, who will take on the Mavericks on Sunday.
