Is Austin Reaves Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Lakers vs. Jazz)

The latest injury update for Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves on Thursday night against the Utah Jazz.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been ruled out for Thursday night's matchup with the Utah Jazz due to a calf strain, but he appears to be making progress towards a return.

Reavs, who was ruled out for a week with the injury, was back on the practice court on Wednesday. That's a positive sign for his chances of returning once the team re-evaluates his injury later on this week.

Austin Reaves (projected to miss a week with a mild left calf strain) is back on the practice court, getting up shots pic.twitter.com/XDqO77v1PZ

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 17, 2025

This season, Reaves has played at an All-Star level for the Lakers, averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Reaves took on an expanded role early in the season with LeBron James (sciatica) out, and he's continued to play a big role on offense since then.

The Lakers are road favorites against Utah, but they only beat the Jazz by two points the last time these teams matched up at Delta Center.

I'm eyeing a player prop for this game with Reaves out, as the Jazz do have one of the worst defenses in the NBA.

Best Lakers Prop Bet vs. Jazz

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Luka Doncic 35+ Points (-149)

The Lakers are down Reaves, Deandre Ayton and potentially Gabe Vincent (questionable) on Thursday night, which puts Luka Doncic in a great spot to lead the team in scoring.

This season, Doncic is averaging 34.7 points per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from 3. With Reaves out, there is going to be a lot more shot volume to go around in the Lakers' offense, and Doncic should benefit.

He already leads the NBA in usage rate, shots per game (23.1) and 3-pointers attempted per game (10.7). Doncic also torched the Jazz for 37 and 33 points in two meetings earlier this season. The MVP candidate has scored 35 or more points in 11 of his 19 games overall.

The Jazz rank 29th in the NBA in both defensive rating and opponent points per game, so I wouldn't be shocked to see Doncic have a huge game, especially if the Lakers aren't able to pull away early. L.A. is 16-9 against the spread this season, but it did let the Jazz hang around in both of their meetings back in November.

That sets up well for Doncic to have a huge game on Thursday night.

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