The Los Angeles Lakers saw both star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves go down with injuries in the team’s blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, and while there were some initial concerns about both, early updates signal the Purple and Gold might have avoided disaster.
While Doncic went down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, both he and Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the Slovenian would be fine.
Reaves, however, suffered a heel injury, and though an Achilles tear was ruled out, the severity of the issue moving forward remains unknown.
Still, if Doncic, Reaves, or both need some time to recover, the good news is that the Lakers’ schedule looks extremely light for the next two weeks, meaning Los Angeles could give the backcourt duo ample time to get back healthy while also not necessarily sacrificing the team’s record after a hot start to the season.
Lakers Schedule Bodes Well For Injured Star Players
While it’s still uncertain if or how long either Doncic or Reaves would sit with their respective health concerns, the Lakers’ schedule over the next two weeks doesn’t look to be very challenging.
After the team’s Wednesday night win over the Bucks, Los Angeles doesn’t play until Sunday night, that matchup against the 4-6 Phoenix Suns.
That’s then followed by a Tuesday, November 17 game facing the 4-7 Charlotte Hornets. The next contest is the following day against the 1-11 Utah Jazz, before a Friday night game hosting the 1-10 Sacramento Kings.
The Lakers get multiple days off once again before a rematch against the Jazz on Monday, November 23.
After that stretch of five games over nine days, the Purple and Gold get more time to rest before going up against the 10-2 San Antonio Spurs on November 27. That’s the team’s first game in roughly two weeks against an opponent with a winning record, so if the injuries to Doncic and Reaves force either to miss any time, it likely couldn’t have come at a better moment for the Lakers.
“For any of the Lakers licking their wounds, the extra break in the schedule here gives them their shot to take it easy for the next few days,” Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote on the team’s upcoming schedule. “The additional positive is the Lakers’ upcoming five games offer very little resistance in terms of competition. A team should always be practicing caution with injuries. It gets made even easier when the upcoming slate includes the likes of the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz (twice), Sacramento Kings, and Charlotte Hornets.”
While the injuries to Doncic and Reaves certainly aren’t positive, the good news is that the Lakers have a simple schedule before facing the Spurs, so if the two need time to rest and recover, the next two weeks are a near-perfect time to do so.
Luka Doncic And Austin Reaves Injury Updates
For now, there haven’t been any official injury updates on Doncic or Reaves, but as it relates to the Slovenian, the early returns are positive.
He went down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ win over the Bucks on Wednesday night, but the star and his coach both believe he is ‘fine.’
“I think [Doncic] is fine,” Reddick said. “Just a light tweak.”
“Obviously, it’s painful a bit, but I’ll be fine,” Doncic told reporters after the game.
As for Reaves, his injury is a bit more concerning. The 25-point-per-game shooting guard left in the third quarter with a heel injury and didn’t return. Redick ruled out an Achilles injury, and while early X-rays came back negative, the Lakers still don’t have the full scope of his status going forward.
“No update on AR until we’ll have imaging tomorrow,” Redick said, per ESPN.
Until the Lakers offer further updates on the star backcourt duo, the status of the two will remain in question. It doesn’t appear that Doncic will be forced to miss any time, but Reaves could be out for a few games.
If either needs to rest, the Lakers’ upcoming schedule bodes well for some recovery. Los Angeles will need both players healthy to continue the team’s 11-2 start to the season, so if the injuries are a bit more serious and rest is needed, the next two weeks are perfect for that.
Los Angeles Lakers Dealt Positive Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves Injury News