The Los Angeles Lakers came away with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks, but it wasn’t exactly a perfect night.
Both Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic were forced to leave the court with separate injuries, giving Los Angeles plenty to worry about despite the victory.
Fortunately, Doncic’s situation doesn’t appear to be too serious. There are more questions surrounding Reaves, who will undergo further medical tests to determine the extent of his injury.
And Luka has already made it clear how the Lakers need to approach the possibility of playing without their teammate.
Reaves Goes Down, Then Doncic Suffers an Injury Scare
Austin Reaves was the first to go down, midway through the third quarter.
The Lakers guard tried to finish a fast break with a dunk but was blocked from behind and landed awkwardly, injuring his left heel.
According to sports physical therapist Evan Jeffrieswho analyzed footage of the play, the injury may have occurred during that landing.
The best-case scenario would be a left heel contusionwhile a more serious possibility involves plantar fascia damageranging from a strain to a tear.
However, these are only assessments based on video footage, not an official diagnosis. Further medical examinations will be needed to determine the actual severity of the injury.
Reaves initially tried to play through the pain, but eventually had to head back to the locker room, limping off with the help of the team’s staff.
His night ended with 18 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
After the game, JJ Redick confirmed that Reaves’ X-rays came back negativealthough additional tests will be necessary to get a clearer picture.
Reaves’ X-rays were negative. We’ll do more testing tomorrow, and there probably won’t be any further updates until then
JJ Redick
As if that wasn’t enough, the Lakers also had a late injury scare involving Luka Doncic.
After attempting a three-pointer, the Slovenian superstar landed on Kyle Kuzma’s foot, hurting his right ankle.
On that front, however, Redick sounded considerably more optimistic.
I think Luka is fine. He’s just dealing with a little soreness
JJ Redick
Reaves’ Injury: Luka Doncic Explains the Lakers’ Plan
The situation is less clear for Reaves, whose availability remains uncertain.
And when Doncic was asked how the Lakers would respond if their teammate were forced to miss time, his message was straightforward.
We have to be ready, whoever gets called upon. Obviously, we’d be losing a very, very important player. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, but we have to be prepared to step up in his absence
Luka Doncic
No panic, then, but a clear understanding that everyone will need to contribute more if Reaves is sidelined.
The Lakers’ No. 15 has become a crucial part of their offense, and losing him, even for just a few games, would be a significant setback.
Redick’s initial updates on both players were encouraging, although the results of Reaves’ additional tests will be crucial in determining what happens next.
The good news for Los Angeles is that the team has a few days off before its next game.
Some valuable time to recover and, above all, hope that the two injury scares against Milwaukee turn out to be nothing more than that.