That one felt eerily similar to one fateful early April night. The memory of stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves getting hurt in the same game will haunt Los Angeles Lakers fans.
On Wednesday, the Lakers were hit with potential injury concerns to Doncic and Reaves. While Doncic downplayed any trouble after the team’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, fans are fearful that Reaves may miss some time.
Reaves, 28, exited last night’s game with over eight minutes left in the third quarter after he appeared to land awkwardly following a missed layup.
Could Lakers Guard Be Out a While?
The Lakers improved to 11-2 after an 11-point victory over the struggling Bucks. Winners of seven in a row, L.A. owns the best record in the NBA, but that could quickly change if the status of Reaves and Doncic changes in the coming weeks. According to Lakers journalist Jovan Buha, the likelihood of Reaves being sidelined for a few games cannot be ruled out.
“Austin’s injury is the one that is most concerning,” Buha said. “X-rays were negative on his heel, but the Lakers will still do some imaging (Thursday). (Head coach) JJ (Redick) said they have ruled out an Achilles injury. But it does seem like there’s a possibility here that Austin misses some. (It’s) unclear how much.”
As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported after the Lakers’ win over the Bucks, giving them their 11th on the season, it is a matter of time before we learn the true severity of Reaves’ injury.
“After the Lakers guard landed awkwardly following a missed fast-break dunk with 8:21 to go in the third quarter, he came back into the game after a timeout,” McMenamin wrote. “He later subbed himself out with 5:20 remaining in the third. He limped off the court and was accompanied by Lakers medical personnel to the back. Lakers coach JJ Redick said X-rays taken on Reaves’ heel at the arena came back negative and he would not know more about his status until Reaves undergoes further evaluation when the team returns to Los Angeles on Thursday, but he did rule out any concerns about Reaves’ Achilles tendon.”
L.A. Has Some Wiggle Room
The Lakers’ fast start could, theoretically, help them stay afloat in the standings should Reaves, or even Doncic, are forced to miss some time.
L.A.’s next game isn’t until Sunday, which gives the team a full three-day break. The Lakers’ easier strength of schedule in the coming weeks could also provide an assist if a key star is sidelined. L.A. also has enough depth on the roster to lean into if a starter goes down.
“I think we just got to have next-man-up mentality,” Doncic said after scoring 32 points in the win. “Obviously, we lose a very, very good player. Hopefully it’s not — it’s nothing. We got to have next-man-up mentality.”
L.A. would surely hope no player has to miss time, especially if the club wants to maintain its explosive start to the season. The Lakers possess a 0.5 game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the top seed in the Western Conference.
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