Mavericks contest Redick’s assertion that they mishandled Reaves’ MRI.
The Dallas Mavericks contested Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick’s assertion that their medical staff assessed the incorrect area of Austin Reaves’ body when the Lakers guard underwent an MRI conducted by the Mavericks’ personnel over the weekend.
“Our medical team adhered to standard imaging protocols based on the information available at the time,” the Mavericks stated in a release first shared with DLLS Sports on Tuesday and subsequently provided to ESPN. “There was no mistake in the scan that was conducted.”
Redick, after the Lakers’ practice at Southern Methodist University’s campus on Saturday in Dallas, mentioned that Reaves needed two MRIs to confirm a Grade 2 left oblique strain and criticized the Mavericks for their handling of the initial scan.
“I am unsure where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but they scanned the incorrect area,” Redick remarked. “So [the error was] not on our side. We clearly communicated what needed to be scanned, but they scanned the wrong area.”
A spokesperson for the Lakers declined to comment on Tuesday when approached by ESPN regarding the sequence of events related to the MRI.
Reaves sustained the injury during the first half of the Lakers’ 139-96 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday and returned to the game, finishing with a team-high 15 points in 27 minutes.
While the Lakers did not provide a timeline for Reaves’ return beyond ruling the fifth-year veteran out for the remainder of the regular season, sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania that Reaves is anticipated to be sidelined for four to six weeks.
L.A. (50-28) currently occupies the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference with four games left. They are a half game behind the No. 3 Denver Nuggets but possess the tiebreaker over Denver by winning the season series.
The Lakers will host the Thunder on Tuesday, followed by a back-to-back on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors on the road and Friday at home against the Phoenix Suns before concluding the regular season at home against the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
