The Lakers are out for blood. After losing two straight games that ended their three-game winning streak, JJ Redick’s squad is in Toronto hoping to regain their groove. And they came out all guns blazing tonight with a 43-point opening quarter to take an early lead. While everything was going smoothly, an unfortunate incident in the second quarter halted their momentum as Austin Reaves suffered an injury following an apparent collision with Gradey Dick.

While Reaves was defending Gradey during a drive to the basket, it looked like the two bumped knees as AR immediately ran out of the floor hobbling in pain. Meanwhile, the Raptors star finished the play with an easy layup. Sure enough, everyone was concerned because it was the same knee that Austin bumped during the Cavs game and fans feared he might have re-aggravated it, as per Dave McMenamin’s tweet. Seeing their star guard struggle, Redick took a time-out and checked him out of the game as Reaves left the floor, limping.

However, the replay later revealed that it might not have been a knee injury. As it turns out, AR stepped on Anthony Davis’ foot while he was backpedaling to defend Gradey. Unfortunately, that led to him rolling his ankle. The good news was that Reaves stayed on the bench instead of heading to the locker room and was spotted stretching his foot out with a resistance band as the game continued. So, the injury was likely not too serious. And he checked back into the game in the second half. Obviously, that’s great news because AR is a key part of JJ’s rotation.

JJ Redick surprised by Austin Reaves’ talent after urging him to improve conditioning

When JJ took over the head coaching job, he set a clear goal for Reaves, “I think a big thing, partially in terms of how I want him to play in our offensive system. He’s gotta get in better condition. He’s gotta be able to move more.” Yes, now a regular starter for the team, it’s important for AR to stay in tip-top shape so that he can go full throttle for an entire game. Moreover, JJ revealed, “Based on our early conversations, he’s bought into that.” So, the shooting guard was ready to put in the work.

Sure enough, the results have been evident in the first five games as AR is averaging a career-high 16.8 points on a whopping 44.8% efficiency from deep range. And he even surprised JJ with his performance after he scored 26 points against the Suns last week, “I knew (Austin) was a great player when I took this job… but I didn’t realize he was this good… he’s a fantastic basketball player.” Fortunately, tonight’s incident did not halt Reaves’ momentum, and he was able to continue playing despite the brief injury scare. And hopefully, he will continue to impress his head coach and the entire Laker Nation.