After losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder 139-96 on April 2, the Los Angeles Lakers headed to Texas for their next game against the Dallas Mavericks. After it was announced that Austin Reaves suffered an oblique strain, Reaves had his MRI conducted by the Mavs’ medical team.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick claimed the MRI process was done incorrectly shortly after Reaves’ injury news broke. On Tuesday, the Mavericks provided a statement of their own, disputing Redick’s comments, according to Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS Sports.
“Our medical team followed standard imaging protocols based on the information provided at the time,” said the Mavericks’ organization. “There was no error in the scan performed.”
The 41-year-old head coach stated the Lakers initially believed Reaves was healthy, only to be informed that the Mavericks had scanned the wrong area of Reaves’ body. Redick laughed the claim off while talking with media members about it on April 4.
While Dallas took the time to respond to Redick’s claims, Austin Reaves’ injury timeline remains the same. He is expected to miss at least the first round of the playoffs, assuming the Lakers make it out of the opening round. With both Reaves and Luka Doncic set to miss an extended period of time, L.A.’s postseason hopes look bleak.
As for the Mavericks, Dallas has already been ruled out of playoff contention. The club will wait and see the results of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery before pursuing any new players to the roster to play alongside Cooper Flagg next season.
After losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder 139-96 on April 2, the Los Angeles Lakers headed to Texas for their next game against the Dallas Mavericks. After it was announced that Austin Reaves suffered an oblique strain, Reaves had his MRI conducted by the Mavs’ medical team.