October 6, 2026 · By The Sports Nus Staff · 3 min read
The Lakers opened the preseason short-handed, and they will stay that way tonight. Austin Reaves (tweaked ankle) and Walker Kessler (jammed finger on the backboard) both sat out Monday's preseason opener at Sacramento, and neither is expected to suit up for tonight's second night of a back-to-back against the Warriors in the Bay Area.
They are not alone on the sideline. Collin Sexton and two-way guard Arthur Kaluma also missed the opener.
Coach JJ Redick downplayed all of it, calling all four players day-to-day and adding that there is "nothing major" going on.
via Dan Woike, The Athletic, and Lakers reporter Mike Trudell
The preseason slate
After tonight's trip to face the Warriors, the Lakers return home to host the Kings on Oct 8, travel to Las Vegas for a neutral-site meeting with the Warriors on Oct 13, and close the preseason at home against the Nuggets on Oct 16. The real opener comes Oct 21, when the Warriors visit Los Angeles.
With two weeks before that game counts, caution is the only sensible play. A tweaked ankle in October is a maintenance decision. The same tweak in April is a crisis. Redick knows the difference, and sitting Reaves on the second night of a preseason back-to-back is exactly what a coach who trusts his medical staff does.
What to watch
Kessler's jammed finger is the quirkier of the two injuries. He hurt it on the backboard, which suggests a shot-blocking or rebounding play, and finger issues can linger for a big man who makes his living with his hands. It is not serious, per Redick, but it is worth monitoring through the week.
Reaves' ankle is the bigger watch item simply because of his role. He is central to everything the Lakers want to do offensively, and any missed ramp-up time in camp matters at the margins. Again: day-to-day, nothing major. File it under preseason noise until it says otherwise.
The betting angle
There is no edge here, and that is the point. Preseason lines are thin, rotations are experimental, and "nothing major" injury news does not move a market that barely exists. If you are betting October basketball, do it for fun and keep it small.
The number that matters is Oct 21. As long as Reaves and Kessler are full participants by the final week of camp, this week will be forgotten by Halloween.
Fantasy note: our 9-cat league drafts Oct 13. Both names are watch items only. Per Redick there is nothing major here, so no draft-day panic.