Lakers' Austin Reaves set for imaging on heel after leaving win over Bucks
Austin Reaves left the Lakers' 123-112 win in Milwaukee with a heel injury. X-rays were negative, and JJ Redick ruled out an Achilles problem.
The Lakers won their seventh straight game Wednesday night, 123-112 in Milwaukee, but they left Fiserv Forum waiting on news about Austin Reaves. The guard took himself out of the game midway through the third quarter and walked to the locker room with team staff. The club later ruled him out for the rest of the night with a heel injury.
Reaves had X-rays after the game and they came back negative, coach JJ Redick said, according to the New York Post. He will have further imaging Thursday. Redick also said the Achilles is not involved. CBS Sports reported that the injury is to his left heel. Reaves did not speak to reporters, and Redick described him as his usual self after the game.
The Post reported that Reaves appears to have first hurt the heel on a dunk attempt earlier in the third quarter. He stayed in after a timeout with the Lakers ahead 69-56, then signaled to the bench at about the 5:20 mark. He finished with 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals in 25 minutes.
If he misses time, the Lakers lose a lot. Reaves came into the night averaging 25.3 points on 50.8 percent shooting from the field and 41.3 percent from three, which ranked him 15th in the league in scoring. Luka Dončić said the team would need a next-man-up approach and that he hoped "it's nothing."
Reaves was not the only Laker to leave early. Yahoo Sports reported that Collin Sexton needed stitches after taking a blow to the face. Dončić twisted his ankle when he landed on Kyle Kuzma's foot on a 3-point attempt, stayed in to shoot the free throw, and then went out. Redick did not seem especially worried about either of them.
What it means for Phoenix
The schedule helps. Los Angeles does not play again until Sunday at Phoenix, its longest break of the season so far. That gives Reaves, Dončić and Sexton three full days before tipoff. The imaging results will show whether that is enough time for Reaves.
The Lakers are 11-2 and haven't lost since a 112-95 defeat at Golden State. They have scored at least 116 points in each of their last seven games. The win in Milwaukee finished off a 4-0 trip through Sacramento, Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee, and it improved their road record to 6-1. They are 8-2 over their last 10, and the only other loss in that stretch was a 136-129 home defeat to Portland.
The offense has carried this team so far. Reaves has been one of its most efficient scorers, and Dončić runs it. If either one is limited Sunday, the Lakers will need more from their bench and from Sexton, assuming his face injury is not a problem. Sunday's game in Phoenix will also be their first time playing without Reaves, if it comes to that, since the winning streak began.
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