Lakers win seventh straight in Milwaukee, but Austin Reaves leaves with heel injury

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112 on Wednesday for their seventh win in a row. The bigger news came in the third quarter, when Austin Reaves left with a left heel injury and did not return. Luka Doncic and Collin Sexton also got hurt in the second half, so the Lakers head home with three rotation players to check on.

According to ESPN, Reaves landed badly after missing a dunk on a fast break with 8:21 left in the third. He went back in after a timeout but took himself out about three minutes later, limping off with the medical staff. Coach JJ Redick said X-rays at the arena were negative and ruled out any concern about the Achilles tendon. Reaves will get more imaging once the team is back in Los Angeles on Thursday. "No update on AR until we'll have imaging tomorrow," Redick told ESPN. CBS Sports and NBA.com reported the same timeline.

Before he left, Reaves was having an efficient night: 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, five assists and three steals in 25 minutes. He did not speak to reporters after the game.

Doncic scored 32 points. He turned his right ankle with 4:25 left when Kyle Kuzma fouled him on a long jumper and their legs made contact, but he played down the injury afterward. Sexton left with 6:51 to go after bumping heads with Ryan Rollins and needed stitches above his right eye, Redick said.

What it means for Phoenix

The schedule helps. The Lakers don't play again until Sunday, November 15, at Phoenix, which gives Reaves, Doncic and Sexton three full days off. Whether Reaves plays there depends on Thursday's imaging.

The Lakers are 11-2 and playing as well as anyone. The win in Milwaukee finished a 3-0 trip through Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee, and they are now 6-1 on the road. Their only road loss was a 112-95 defeat at Golden State. Their only other loss came at home, 136-129 to Portland, a result they later reversed with a 124-118 home win over the Trail Blazers.

The seven-game streak has been driven by offense. The Lakers have scored at least 116 points in every game of the run and averaged about 125 per night, while allowing roughly 115, a margin of more than 10 points per game. For the season they average about 122 points and allow about 114.

Losing Reaves for any length of time would test that offense. He is the second ball handler next to Doncic. With Sexton also banged up, the backcourt behind Doncic would be thin. The Lakers have won with balance during this streak, and Sunday's game against the Suns may show how much of that holds without one of their main creators.

For the Lakers' full season and schedule, see our team page.