For the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic normally rests during the first several minutes of the second and fourth quarters of games. When they entered the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, they held a 94-73 lead, and with 6:51 remaining, they were still up by 20 points.
That is when Luka Doncic came back into the game, which was surely something that had fans wondering whether it was a wise decision. Sure enough, a little later, he landed on Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma while making a long jumper and tweaked his right ankle, forcing him to exit the game almost immediately.
Advertisement
Typically, coaches are reluctant to put their stars and starters back in a game deep into the fourth quarter when their team has a big lead in order to avoid injuries. Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked after Wednesday’s game why he reinserted Doncic despite being in full control, via Lakers Nation.
“We decided, because of how that Raptors game went, we said alright, four minutes, 20 points, somewhere around there that’s kind of the cutoff point. I don’t think Luka would have gotten back in the game had Collin [Sexton] not busted his head open. So not having Collin, not having AR (Austin Reaves), you put Luka back in, you’re playing for two minutes. He’s gonna either keep the lead or build the lead and then he tweaks his ankle. There’s nothing you can do about that.”
Reaves, of course, had to leave the game in the third quarter due to a heel ailment he sustained on a dunk. Then midway through the fourth quarter, Sexton suffered an open wound on his head after a head-to-head collision with Bucks guard Ryan Rollins. Sexton required sutures to close the resulting wound, according to Redick.
The good news is that Doncic may be OK for the Lakers’ next game, which won’t be until Sunday and will take place against the Phoenix Suns. Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday that Doncic woke up without pain in the right ankle he tweaked.
Even without Doncic, Reaves and Sexton, the Lakers finished off the Bucks for a 123-112 victory that gave them an 11-2 record and a seven-game winning streak. That 11-2 mark is the best record in the NBA.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: JJ Redick on why he reinserted Luka Doncic late in Wednesday’s game
