On January 20th, Beijing time, the Lakers suffered a heavy blow as Reeves went down in the final four minutes, with LeBron James losing his third superstar, and details of his exit were concerning.
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers in this season's first matchup between the two teams. The Lakers were thoroughly dominated throughout the game, trailing by as much as 26 points at one point, leaving no hope for a victory, ultimately losing by 15 points.
More importantly, in the last four minutes of the game, the Lakers' misfortunes compounded as their core guard, Reeves, painfully fell to the ground while vying for a rebound, limping off the court. This was a truly desperate scene for the Lakers, as they had already lost Russell, and now Reeves was also out.
During a scramble for an offensive rebound, Reeves collided head-on with the opposing player, Coffey. As a result of his height and weight disadvantage, Reeves was brutally knocked to the ground. Since he initiated the collision, the referee immediately called a defensive foul on him.
Reeves committed the foul, and at that moment, his left foot appeared to twist at a suspected 90-degree angle, forcing him to limp off the court. Another detail emerged: after falling, Reeves could no longer stand on both feet. He first clutched his left knee before hopping back to the bench on one leg. Upon reaching the bench, Reeves continued to receive treatment in obvious pain. From these details and footage, it appears that Reeves' injury may be more severe than initially thought.
At that point, he had no intention of returning to the game. Not only that, but on the bench, it was visible that while the team doctor treated him, he gritted his teeth to endure the pain. This is truly the worst news for the Lakers, as they were already trailing and had no chance of winning when Reeves was injured and left the court. The team was already down by 13 points, with three minutes left, which was impossible to recover.
Adding to the setback, he was injured, and LeBron James was visibly frustrated, slightly shrugging his shoulders on the other end of the court, unable to utter a word. Because even if you lose the game, it's unbearable to lose your third superstar as well. Reeves has been the best player for the Lakers recently, scoring a career-high 38 points in the previous game.
In the last ten games, his statistics averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists, far exceeding the value of his four-year, $56 million contract. However, the Lakers' best-performing player was taken out, suffering a double loss. Sitting on the bench, James looked distressed, and after this crucial battle, they would return to the play-in tournament zone.