If Los Angeles Lakers fans experienced any Christmas cheer this year, it did not come during the team's home game versus the Houston Rockets. LA lost its third straight contest, falling 119-96 on Thursday, and it also lost one of its most important players. Austin Reaves exited the court early after aggravating his calf injury. Fans will have to wait a bit longer before getting any concrete information regarding his status.

The 27-year-old, who scored 12 points in 15 minutes against the Rockets, will have an MRI on Friday, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic. Lakers head coach JJ Redick sounds prepared for some disappointing news based on his postgame comments. Reaves “clearly felt something,” the head coach relayed to the media, per Woike. The Purple and Gold faithful would be wise to keep themselves preoccupied until a diagnosis is revealed to the public.

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It is hard to underestimate his value, however. LeBron James will turn 41 years old on Dec. 30, so LA is trusting Reaves to compete at a high level throughout the campaign. He has been terrific when on the court, averaging 27.3 points, 6.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, but the undrafted guard out of Wichita State and Oklahoma has already missed a handful of games. He could spend more time on the sidelines depending on what the MRI shows.

Although every team endures concerning injury issues at one time or another, there is a particularly high sense of urgency in Los Angeles. The Lakers (19-10) want to capitalize on Austin Reaves' rise while they still have a four-time NBA Finals MVP on the roster. They have a few days to process this situation before welcoming in the Sacramento Kings (7-23) on Sunday night.