For five minutes, the Los Angeles Lakers thought they had avoided the worst. Now that they know, JJ Redick pinned the blame on the host team where it happened. Obviously, the Dallas Mavericks had something to say about that. Summarily, the Lakers were sorely mistaken about the severity of Austin Reaves’ injury sustained during the April 2 game in Oklahoma City against the Thunder. But a thorough check could only be done at the next stop in Dallas. That created a situation we’ve rarely seen occur in the NBA.
The dispute centers on the diagnostic process for Reaves, who is currently sidelined with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. Redick raised alarm on Saturday, claiming that the Mavericks’ medical staff, as the host facility during the Lakers’ trip to Dallas, improperly conducted Reaves’ initial imaging.
Things took a contentious turn when the Mavericks issued a firm rebuttal to the Los Angeles Lakers head coach. “Our medical team followed standard imaging protocols based on the information provided at the time,” read the strongly worded statement the Mavs issued to the media. “There was no error in the scan performed.”
Obviously, it’s not a comedy of errors. There’s an insinuation of medical negligence by the Dallas doctors while handling Reaves’ injury. But the Mavs’ statement had an effect. While the Lakers declined to comment, Redick seemed to walk back his implication on Tuesday.
“In the end, we got the image we needed,” JJ Redick said. “And obviously very appreciative, because it’s happened throughout the season whenever the home team is accommodating to us, just like we would be for them. And we’re going to move on.”
Reaves didn’t play in that Sunday’s game. He’d return to LA with the team where the Lakers medical staff performed a second scan and confirmed the severity of his injury.
Austin Reaves’ two scans put the Lakers through wringer
JJ Redick says Dallas imaging scanned the wrong area on Austin Reaves
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“They scanned the wrong area. Not on our end. We made it explicit what was supposed to be scanned but they scanned the wrong area. pic.twitter.com/2KWJRhgAyK
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) April 4, 2026
Following the Lakers practice on Southern Methodist University’s campus Saturday in Dallas, Redick told the media, “I don’t know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but they scanned the wrong area.” He further said, “So [the mistake was] not on our end. We made it explicit what was supposed to be scanned, but they scanned the wrong area.”
Redick’s claim implied that a second MRI was required only because of an error by the Mavs’ personnel. A small effect of Reaves’ two checks could be seen on LeBron James. After the Dallas game, James revealed the spectrum of emotions he felt between Doncic’s and Reaves’ separate injury reports.
“It was a shot to the heart and the chest and the mainframe with Luka,” James told reporters. “…I woke up from my nap yesterday and saw that [Reaves] news and was like, ‘S–t.’”
For a brief moment even Draymond Green thought that Austin Reaves was going to recover in time for the playoffs without Luka Doncic.
Redick confirmed the Lakers had a similar reaction. They initially thought Reaves’ injury was not that severe. Redick even said that Reaves and Marcus Smart were TBD before the Mavericks game. Until Lakers doctors declared it a Grade 2. That could mean AR15 would be effectively sidelined through the first round of the playoffs.
This diagnostic drama underscores a period of immense pressure for the Lakers as they face a late injury crisis. The injuries to Doncic, Reaves, and Smart couldn’t come at a worse time as LA is on the verge of losing the third seed.
As Redick noted in his pivot, the team is forced to “move on,” and focus on surviving this final stretch without their primary playmakers.
