The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112 on Wednesday night to secure their seventh consecutive victory, though the win was overshadowed by injuries to Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic and Collin Sexton.
Reaves departed the game in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his left heel following a transition dunk attempt. He limped to the locker room after recording 18 points, five assists, three rebounds, and three steals in 25 minutes.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an update on the guard’s status after the final buzzer.
“X-rays were negative,” said Redick on Spectrum SportsNet.
“He’ll get imaging tomorrow. No update besides that,” Redick said.
The team has ruled out any Achilles issue. Reaves entered the matchup averaging 25.3 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range. Los Angeles owns a 125.2 offensive rating with Reaves on the floor this season, which drops to a 108.7 offensive rating when he is off the court.
The 28-year-old guard had previously appeared in each of the first 11 games before missing Monday’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks due to an illness. Last season, health issues limited him to 51 games played due to a calf injury and an oblique strain. The last time Redick watched Doncic and Reaves suffer injuries in the same game, the Lakers were blown out 134–96 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in April.
Before exiting, Sexton had contributed 10 points and three assists in 13 minutes. Redick said that Sexton required medical attention after bleeding near his right temple.
“Obviously Collin, getting sutures in his temple, whatever area he got hit in,” said Redick.
Doncic eventually headed off the floor late in the fourth quarter after turning his ankle on a three-point attempt when Kyle Kuzma challenged the shot and landed in his landing space.
Redick downplayed the severity of the incident after the game.
“Luka I think is fine. Just a light tweak,” said Redick.
Doncic confirmed he expects to recover quickly from the setback.
“I’m good. Obviously it’s painful a little bit, but I’ll be fine. We went 3-0 on the road trip, so that’s very good,” said Doncic.
Tip-off for the matchup in Phoenix is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, with the Lakers’ next four games coming against teams below the .500 mark. While the immediate priority following a night where three guards needed medical attention is ensuring winning momentum does not come at the expense of the players, Doncic also praised his teammates for stepping up during recent absences.