Austin Reaves from the Lakers suffers from injury fears in the game against Thunder

After suffering an embarrassing loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to get back on track in their NBA Cup game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

Unfortunately for JJ Redick and company, they are currently trying to compete against one of the best teams in the Western Conference without one of their best players. In the second quarter, starting player Austin Reaves went to the locker room after taking a scary fall following a layup.

Reaves left the game just before halftime with a reported back injury. According to Underdog NBA, he didn’t come out with the rest of the team in the second half.

D’Angelo Russell started the third quarter in place of Reaves.

Luckily for the Lakers, Reaves returned to the bench a few minutes into the third quarter and quickly got back into the game. As the Lakers and Thunder go back and forth in a crucial NBA Cup game, Reaves gives the Lakers a secondary ball handler who can shoot the ball off the dribble and also block shots from outside.

Unfortunately, Reaves didn’t have his best night before or after the injury. As the third quarter comes to a close, Reaves is just 2 of 8 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range with seven points, but his presence on the court is still a huge advantage for the Lakers.

Anthony Davis didn’t have a great night, but he posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds at the end of the third quarter. This was a somewhat sloppy game between two teams that make each other difficult on offense. For a Lakers team that has struggled defensively this season, this will be a pleasant surprise for JJ Redick and company.