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Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves’ statuses ahead of Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
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Doncic suffered an injury late against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, going down holding his ankle after a dangerous closeout from Kyle Kuzma. He walked off of the court and into the locker room by his own power, and said he felt fine after the game.
“I’m good,” Doncic said. “Obviously it’s painful a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”
Redick also said he expects Doncic to be available on Sunday, which is great news for the Lakers.
Doncic is the league’s leading scorer through 11 games, averaging 38.6 points per game while also securing 7.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game on 35.9 minutes.
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Reaves suffered his injury a quarter earlier, coming down awkwardly after a dunk attempt. He hobbled around for the remainder of the play before exiting the game.
After Wednesday’s game, Reaves had x-rays done on his heel, though they came back negative. Redick provided further insight on his availability after the knock.
“AR, based on his physical evaluation and how he was feeling yesterday, we opted against imaging,” Redick said. “He’ll be day-to-day. We’ll have him on the report tomorrow.”
Redick clarified that Reaves, the team and medical staff collectively opposed imaging on the guard’s injury, and described the nature of his injury as “a bruise on his heel.”
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Reaves would be a huge miss for the Lakers, as he has been a fantastic second option to Luka Doncic so far this year. He is averaging 24.7 points per game on the year, shooting north of 50% from the field in the process.
If Reaves were to miss time, the Lakers would likely have Quentin Grimes step in to take over his spot for the time being. Grimes also suffered an injury in Wednesday’s game, but Redick revealed he participated in the live part of Friday’s practice. Collin Sexton would likely land in that same boat in ordinary circumstances, but he had to get stitches after a head injury on Wednesday and is also day-to-day.
The Lakers currently sit at the top of the Western Conference with an 11-2 record, and have won each of their last seven games. They’ll look to extend that streak against the Suns on Sunday in the first matchup between the two teams this season at 1:00 p.m. PT.
The post Lakers’ JJ Redick Provides Injury Updates on Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic appeared first on LA Sports Report.
