Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves due to injuries on the second night of back-to-back games against the Blazers
On Sunday night, The Los Angeles Lakers continued their winning streak with a home win over the Miami Heat. It was another strong game for the duo of Austin Reeves and Luka Dončićwho helped the Lakers to an impressive 5-2 record early this season.
Unfortunately, the fans in Portland who spent their hard-earned money to see the Los Angeles Stars take on the Blazers tonight will not get which they paid for, as both Doncic and Reaves were ruled out for that game, Reaves with right groin pain and Doncic with a lower left leg injury (per Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane on X, formerly Twitter).
Doncic also played in the Lakers’ first game against the Blazers this year, and Reaves was unable to lead the team to victory in that contest.
It’s certainly debilitating injury news not only for fans in Portland, but also for a Lakers team looking to continue its momentum, having won three straight, two of which came with Doncic back in the lineup.
A disappointment for the Lakers
With the Lakers essentially conceding this game against the Blazers, Los Angeles will now want to make sure they are ready for their next contest on Wednesday against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Of course, the Lakers are also waiting for the return of LeBron James, who is ruled out due to an injury at least until mid-November. Los Angeles has also had to deal with various other injury absences throughout the year so far.
All in all, it’s been an impressive start to the year for the Lakers, especially for Reaves, who has proven to be one of the NBA’s best third-down options since being pushed into a bigger role with James, and once Doncic, out of the lineup.
It remains to be seen how Reaves will adjust to playing more off the ball once James returns, but the early results have been encouraging.
The Lakers and Blazers will square off at 10:00 PM ET.
2025-11-03 22:21:00
