The Los Angeles Lakers avoided dropping to play-in territory by opening their eight-game road trip with a massive 115-107 comeback win against the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets.
Tuesday's win came with more good news regarding Austin Reaves' return from injury timetable.
Ahead of the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick said Reaves is "progressing well" and is expected to return while Los Angeles endures its longest road trip of the season, spanning from Tuesday until next Friday, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Reaves suffered a left calf strain on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets and has been out ever since.
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Los Angeles has been missing Reaves' production direly. In the 13 games Reaves has missed since late December, the Lakers are 7-6 and fell from the No. 2-4-seed range in the West standings and are fighting the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves for the fifth, sixth and seventh seeds.
Reaves was having a certified All-Star-level season before getting injured, posting 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on some of the best efficiency of his career, best as a full-time starter.
Los Angeles posts a 119.4 offensive rating with Reaves (23 games) and a 116.8 offensive rating without (19 games) overall. As the Lakers aim to right the ship, Reaves' return will undoubtedly be impactful.
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