Luka Doncics, Austin Reaves injury scares dose of scary deja vu for Lakers

We all still have PTSD from April 2. In what was supposed to be a measuring stick game against the Thunder, Luka Dončić suffered a strained hamstring that sidelined him the entire postseason and Austin Reaves sustained a strained oblique that kept him out the first four games of the playoffs.Just like that, the Lakers were wiped off the board. Their two leading scorers were taken out amid a 16-2 run.Their chances of winning a championship were gone.

It was over for the purple and gold. So, when Dončić and Reaves both suffered injuries in a 123-112 win over the Bucks, it was hard not to wince. Not again. Not now. Luckily for the Lakers, this was not that. Dončić said “I’m good” following falling to the floor and clutching his right ankle after Kyle Kuzma closed out on him as he made a 23-foot jumper in the fourth quarter. As for Reaves? His status is more uncertain after he suffered a left heel injury in the third quarter, subbed himself out three minutes later and didn’t return.Lakers coach JJ Redick said his X-rays were negative and that he will get imaging on Thursday.

He added that his Achilles’ tendon is not a concern. Luckily, this doesn’t seem catastrophic for a Laker team that has the best record in the league at 11-2 and has won seven straight games. At least this time, both of their superstars weren’t wiped out in the same game.But it was scary.It was a dose of deja vu. It was a reminder of how fragile all of this is. The Lakers have been the greatest surprise of the league this season. No one thought they’d be championship contenders.

Not after LeBron James left.Not after they acquired nine new players.

Not after there were questions around Walker Kessler after he missed all but five games last season because of shoulder surgery. The assumptions were unanimous: The Lakers needed time to develop chemistry. And they were still a piece or two away from competing, given their thinness at backup center and the questio...