Lakers lose Austin Reaves, then fall to Rockets for third consecutive loss
Published in Basketball
LOS ANGELES — Austin Reaves did not play in the second half of the Lakers' 119-96 Christmas Day loss to Houston Rockets because of left calf soreness.
Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before returning against Phoenix on Tuesday. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers' loss to the Suns.
Against the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena, Reaves started and played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
With Reaves out, the Lakers scored just 21 points in the third quarter before going on to drop their third consecutive game for the first time this season.
Reaves entered Thursday averaging 27.3 points per game, ranking him 11th in league scoring.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said earlier this week that Reaves wasn't on a minutes restriction, but the team would monitor his workload "in real time."
Amen Thompson led the Rockets (18-10) with 26 points, while Kevin Durant scored 25 and handed out eight assists.
Luka Doncic scored 25 points for the Lakers (19-10).
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