Lakers' Austin Reaves heads to locker room in Milwaukee as win streak reaches seven
Austin Reaves limped to the locker room during the Lakers' 123-112 win at Milwaukee. No diagnosis has been given with Phoenix up next on Sunday.
The Los Angeles Lakers left Milwaukee with a 123-112 win, their seventh straight, but the bigger question coming out of the night is the health of Austin Reaves. The guard hobbled to the locker room partway through the game, USA TODAY Sports reported. The team has not given a diagnosis or a timeline.
Before he left, Reaves was having one of his more efficient nights of the season. USA TODAY Sports had him at 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals in 25 minutes on 60% shooting. That included a no-look and-one in the first quarter that set the tone early. The Lakers held on without him and closed out the final game of a three-stop Eastern road swing that also took them through Detroit and Atlanta.
The early reporting does not say whether Reaves is expected to miss time. Until the club announces imaging results or an injury designation, his status for the next game is open. What is clear is how much of the offense runs through him. Taking 25 minutes of that kind of production off the floor would force real changes to the rotation of a team that has been scoring with ease.
What it means for Sunday at Phoenix
The Lakers (team page) are 11-2 and play next on Sunday, November 15, at the Phoenix Suns. They have not lost since a 112-95 defeat at Golden State, and they have scored at least 116 points in all seven wins since then. Over that run they beat Toronto, Miami, Sacramento, Portland, Detroit, Atlanta and now Milwaukee. The only other loss this season was a 136-129 home defeat to Portland, which the Lakers avenged with a 124-118 win at home last week.
The road has not slowed them down. Los Angeles is 6-1 away from home, with wins at Utah, the Clippers, Sacramento, Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee. It is 5-1 at Crypto.com Arena. Phoenix will be the team's fourth road game in five outings, and the first since this trip ended.
If Reaves is limited or out, the Lakers' depth will get its first real test of the season. The ball-handling and secondary creation he provides would have to come from elsewhere, and the bench would be asked to cover more of the minutes. A team averaging well over 120 points during its streak has some cushion. But the Suns at home are a different assignment from the end of a road trip, and Phoenix will see a chance to catch the Lakers short-handed.
The next update to watch for is the team's injury report ahead of Sunday. That will show whether Reaves' trip to the locker room was a precaution or the start of an absence.