Lakers’ Austin Reaves Getting Imaging After Early Exit Vs. Bucks

MILWAUKEE — One of the Lakers’ star players left the team’s game against the Bucks due to an injury Wednesday. 

And there’s uncertainty about his status moving forward.

Austin Reaves subbed himself out and limped to the back of Fiserv Forum with team personnel because of an apparent lower-body injury midway through the third quarter of the Lakers’ eventual 123-112 victory over the Bucks.

He motioned to the bench around the 5:20 mark of the quarter, with the Lakers making multiple subs while Reaves walked to the back. 

The Lakers ruled Reaves out for the remainder of the game midway through the fourth quarter, saying he had a heel injury.

Coach JJ Redick said Reaves’ X-rays were negative and that he’d get imaging on Thursday. Redick ruled out an Achilles injury.

Reaves didn’t speak with reporters postgame.

“He’s Austin,” Redick said of Reaves’ demeanor postgame. “I mean, he’s pretty much like this all the time.”

Reaves appeared to initially hurt his heel during a dunk attempt earlier in the third but stayed in the game coming out of the timeout with the Lakers up 69-56 with 8:13 left in the quarter.

Reaves recorded 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals in 25 minutes before leaving the game with the heel injury.

The 6-foot-5 guard entered Wednesday as the league’s No. 15 scorer, averaging 25.3 points (50.8% from the field, 41.3% on 3-pointers), 4.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds in the team’s first nine games.

Among players averaging at least 20 points per game, Reaves and Warriors star Steph Curry were the only ones to reach that scoring threshold while also shooting at least 50% from the field, 40% on 3-pointers and 90% on free throws.

While the Lakers didn’t know Reaves’ status beyond Wednesday immediately after beating the Bucks, they’re preparing for other players to step up in a potential absence from the former Oklahoma guard.

“We just gotta have next man up mentality,” Luka Dončić said. “Obviously, we [lost] a very, very good player. Hopefully it’s nothing. We gotta have next-man-up mentality.”