Austin Reaves Expected To Be Day-To-Day After Suffering a Bruised Heel

Lakers guard Austin Reaves exited Wednesday’s game after suffering a bruised heel, and NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic is fine after rolling his ankle in the same game.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Friday that Doncic is expected to be available for their next game in Phoenix on Sunday, while Reaves is listed as day-to-day.

Both guards raised concerns on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks; Reaves injured his left heel during the third quarter when he landed awkwardly on a dunk attempt. He checked himself out of the game and didn’t return.

Redick said the team and Reaves collectively decided not to image Reaves’ heel, instead giving him a day-to-day designation.

“I would assume a day-to-day injury is minor, yeah,” Redick told reporters at the Lakers’ training complex in El Segundo.

Lakers guard Colin Sexton is also day-to-day after bumping heads with Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins, but Redick said a concussion has been ruled out.

Doncic is the NBA’s top scorer with 38.6 points per game, while Reaves is 15th with 24.7. The high-scoring backcourt is the engine keeping the offense driving for the Lakers, who have yet to lose in November.

Both Doncic and Reaves were significantly limited by injuries last season. Reaves played in only 51 games, while Doncic played 64, just scraping by to qualify for his second NBA scoring title.

The Lakers made a huge run in March and became a dark-horse contender, but Doncic and Reaves got hurt in a loss at Oklahoma City on April 2. Reaves didn’t return until April 29, by which time Doncic’s season was over.