The Lakers kept rolling Wednesday night, stretching their winning streak to seven with a road win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. But the final stretch of the night came with a couple of injury scares that left the team with more to monitor than just the box score.
Austin Reaves was the first concern. He went down after landing awkwardly on one leg following a dunk, grabbing at his left heel. After the game, head coach JJ Redick addressed Reaves’ status, and Ben Royer of the OC Register reported that there is not a concern that Austin Reaves suffered an Achilles injury.
That matters, because the initial reaction around the play had some wondering whether it could be more serious. Reaves’ heel injury is still something the Lakers will have to watch, but the Achilles fear appears to be off the table. The team also has a little breathing room now, with three days off before Sunday’s finale of the road trip against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Luka Doncic had his own scare late in the game. The superstar tweaked his ankle after a closeout from former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma near the three-point line, and for a moment it looked like he might be dealing with something major. He was clearly in pain on the floor, holding his ankle, but he stayed in long enough to shoot two free throws before heading to the locker room.
Afterward, Doncic downplayed the issue. In his postgame comments, he said he’ll be fine, according to Khobi Price of The California Post.
The Lakers’ 11th win of the season came with some uneasy moments, but both Reaves and Doncic have the benefit of extra time before the next game. Los Angeles closes out its four-game road trip in Phoenix on Sunday.
In Other News...
Stephen A. Smith Just Gave Lakers Fans A New Reason To Be Furious
Stephen A. Smith lit up Lakers fans this week with a take that landed badly even by the standards of hot-take television. On his show, he argued the Lakers would not win the NBA title this season, and the reaction was immediate, with plenty of pushback from fans who saw the comment as both unnecessary and out of step with what the team has shown early on.
The backlash only grew because the Lakers have opened the season looking like a legitimate contender, sitting atop the Western Conference and playing like a group that expects to matter in June. Critics also quickly pointed to championship teams led by white players in the past, while Smith, for his part, acknowledged what a title could mean for Luka Doncic before making clear he still does not see it happening. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Suddenly Have One Big Concern Hanging Over This Win
The Lakers got the result they wanted against Milwaukee, but the postgame mood came with an obvious complication. Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic both left the game after injury scares, turning what should have been a clean win into a night with an uneasy finish for a team that can ill afford more health uncertainty.
Reaves went out with a left heel injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game, leaving his status as the bigger concern moving forward. Doncic also had a brief scare after rolling his right ankle, though he later said he was fine, giving the Lakers at least one reassuring note as they wait to learn more about Reaves. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Sexton Is Giving Lakers A New Reason To Feel Better
The Lakers have spent the opening stretch looking every bit like a team built to contend, sitting atop the NBA at 10-2 with Luka Doncic steering the offense. But beyond the star power, theres been a quieter development worth watching: Collin Sexton is starting to settle in as a useful piece off the bench after arriving in the first year of a two-year contract.
Sextons start was delayed by injury, but once he got on the floor he began giving Los Angeles the kind of scoring punch it can lean on when the rotation turns over. He put up 18 points against the Atlanta Hawks and is averaging 10.3 points per game, a solid return for a reserve who is still finding his rhythm in a new setting. For a team already winning at a high level, that kind of bench production only adds to the sense that there may still be another gear to uncover. [Read more 🡒]