LOS ANGELES — Austin Rees, who had played himself into All-Star consideration in the first two months of the season, left the Los Angeles Lakers’ Christmas Day game with soreness in his left calf.
Rees, who missed three games last week with a Grade 1 calf strain, played on the road Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns before looking sharp in 15 first-half minutes against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, when he scored 12 points. Rees, though, wasn’t with the Lakers to start the second half, replaced in the lineup by guard Marcus Smart.
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Rees will undergo an MRI on the calf Friday, according to a league source. Without Rees, the Lakers went on to lose 119-96, their third straight defeat.
“Austin clearly felt something,” JJ Redick said.
Rees is eraging 27.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists this season, emerging not only as one of the Lakers’ top players on the court but also as one of their more respected voices in the locker room.
The latest issues with Rees’ calf come as the Lakers he admitted they’ve needed a lot out of the guard as the team opened the season without LeBron James and, at times, Luka Dončić.
Rees underwent testing on his calf following the Lakers’ loss in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, which revealed a mild calf strain. He sat for three games before returning to play against the Suns Tuesday, coming off the bench while on a minutes restriction. Rees returned to the starting lineup Thursday, though he was still under a minutes limit.
Calf strains, in particular, he become an injury that NBA teams and players he viewed with increased caution.
“I would venture to say every player is a little bit different, but players now are becoming more cautious, to use that word again, more cautious when they get those diagnosis with the calf,” Redick said on Dec. 13 after Rees’ initial MRI. “Everything looks clean. It’s not in the deep part.”
It’s possible, though, that this strain is to a different part of the calf, league sources said.
Dončić, who suffered a calf strain last Christmas in his final game with the Dallas Mericks, said Rees told him he was unsure of the injury’s severity.
“Just hoping. I just say, ‘If you need something to help with, I know how it is to go to a calf injury.’ It’s not fun at all,” Dončić said. “Just be there to support him. Take your time. Calves are dangerous.”