Sports
Lakers win seventh straight in Milwaukee but lose Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic to late injury scares
Los Angeles beat Milwaukee 123-112 for its seventh win in a row, but Austin Reaves left with a heel injury and Luka Doncic tweaked his right ankle.
The Los Angeles Lakers kept rolling on Wednesday night. They just did not get out of Milwaukee without a scare or two.
The Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112 for their seventh straight win. Los Angeles is 11-2, the best record in the NBA.
But Austin Reaves left in the third quarter with a heel injury. Luka Doncic then twisted his right ankle late in the fourth quarter and headed straight to the locker room.
What happened to Reaves and Doncic
Reaves went up for a dunk midway through the third quarter. He started limping right after he landed and asked to come out of the game with 5:20 left in the period. He walked to the locker room with members of the team's medical staff and was later ruled out.
Coach JJ Redick said X-rays on the heel were negative. Reaves will have more imaging on Thursday. Redick also said the team is not worried about an Achilles injury.
Doncic got hurt with 4:25 left in the game. Kyle Kuzma closed out on his step-back 3-pointer and ended up in his landing space. Doncic made the shot, was fouled and sat on the floor holding his ankle for a few seconds.
He got up and made the free throw to finish the four-point play. Then the Lakers called timeout and took him out of the game.
"Luka I think is fine," Redick said. "Just a light tweak."
Mamukelashvili steps up again
Before he left, Doncic scored 32 points with five 3-pointers, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. He came into the night leading the league at 39.3 points per game.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 23 points off the bench against the team that drafted him in 2021. He made 5 of 8 from deep. Reaves had 18 points in 25 minutes in his return from an illness. Walker Kessler added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Milwaukee 33-23 to lead 94-73. Tyler Herro and Ziaire Williams were both called for technical fouls after a scuffle late in the period. Los Angeles scored 28 points off 19 Bucks turnovers.
Bucks keep sinking
Herro scored 27 points in his return from a bruised right knee. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 25 off the bench. Milwaukee has lost eight in a row and is 1-11.
The Lakers have three days off before they visit Phoenix on Sunday. The Bucks play at Orlando on Friday.
More like this
Luka Doncic returns with 32 points and 10 assists as the short-handed Lakers beat the Hawks for a sixth straight win
Luka Doncic drops 40 again as the Lakers roll past the Kings for his sixth straight 35-point game
Luka Doncic scores 42 as the Lakers beat the Heat 138-117 and Giannis calls him one of the best scorers ever
Walker Kessler goes 12 for 12 in his Lakers debut and Luka Dončić scores 28 as Los Angeles routs the Warriors 127-105