Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will not play Thursday night against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks for injury maintenance and will be joined on the sideline by starting guard Austin Reaves.
Doncic, who has been dealing with a sprained right ankle, played 32 minutes in Wednesday night’s 120-108 win against Denver and tallied 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Reaves, who scored 22 points with five rebounds and eight assists in 36 minutes against the Nuggets, also was ruled out on Thursday because of a right ankle sprain.
Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle) and Jarred Vanderbilt (right groin strain) were listed as doubtful on Thursday afternoon. Star LeBron James (left groin strain) and fellow starter Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy) remain out.
The Lakers (43-25) are concluding a hectic stretch of six games in eight days. They have a day off Friday before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Doncic, 26, also sat out last Friday’s 131-126 road loss to the Nuggets with ankle and calf injuries.
He is averaging 26.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 34.4 minutes in 16 games (all starts) since joining Los Angeles in a stunning Feb. 2 trade that sent fellow All-NBA regular Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks.
Reaves, 26, is averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 34.6 minutes in starting all 61 games he played this season.
–Field Level Media
