No Reaves, but Luka Is Fine: The 11-2 Lakers Chase an Eighth Straight Win Sunday in Phoenix

The Los Angeles Lakers will try to stretch their winning streak to eight games on Sunday in Phoenix, and they will have to do it without one of their most important players. Austin Reaves has been ruled out against the Suns with a bruised left heel ^[1][3].

The good news for Los Angeles is that Luka Dončić is expected to be on the floor. Coach JJ Redick said Dončić is fine after tweaking his right ankle in Wednesday's win in Milwaukee, and he expects his star to be available ^[5].

The Injury Report

Reaves did not practice on Saturday, and the team is letting the bruise heal gradually rather than pushing him back onto the court ^[1][3]. He is considered day-to-day ^[3]. He was one of five Lakers on Saturday afternoon's injury report ^[1].

Collin Sexton is listed as questionable, but he appears likely to play. Redick said Sexton was a full participant in Saturday's practice ^[3][4]. Sexton needed stitches after colliding with Bucks guard Ryan Rollins in the fourth quarter of the win in Milwaukee, and he said it was the 11th time in his career he has needed stitches in his face ^[2][3]. He does not plan to wear a mask on Sunday but will wear glasses to protect the cut ^[2][3].

Cameron Carr is out with an illness, and Bronny James and Adou Thiero are questionable ^[3].

Good, but Not Satisfied

At 11-2, the Lakers are tied for the best record in the NBA ^[3][6]. Even so, Redick and his coaching staff keep pointing to the parts of the game that are not where they want them: rebounding, defense and too many turnovers, the Los Angeles Times reported ^[6]. The players, the Times added, believe they can be better than their record ^[6].

Sunday's game is the first meeting of the season between the Lakers and the Suns, two Pacific Division rivals ^[3]. It is also a test of the Lakers' depth. With Reaves out, more of the ball-handling and scoring load will fall on Dončić, Sexton and the supporting cast ^[1][3].

Torres' Take

I like what I am hearing from this Lakers team, and it has nothing to do with the win streak. It is easy to be humble after a loss. It is much harder when you are 11-2, the city is buzzing and everyone wants to tell you how great you are. Redick is doing what good coaches do: finding the cracks in the foundation before they turn into something worse ^[6]. That kind of honest accountability is a lesson for any team, any office and any family.

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Sexton is a fun story, too. Eleven sets of stitches in his face over a career is a résumé of a player who throws his body into every possession ^[2]. He could have asked for a mask and a few days off. Instead he went through a full practice and plans to play behind a pair of glasses ^[3][4]. That is old-school toughness, and the Lakers will need it on a night when their second-best scorer is in street clothes.

Being careful with Reaves is the right call. A bruised heel can linger if it is not given time, and a team with the Lakers' ambitions is playing for April and May, not one Sunday in November ^[1]. The same goes for Dončić's ankle. The Lakers got good news on that front when he reportedly woke up without pain after the tweak ^[5], but they will be watching how he moves on Sunday.

What to Watch

The biggest question is how Los Angeles fills the minutes and the shots Reaves normally takes. Expect Dončić to carry an even heavier playmaking load, and watch whether Sexton, with his glasses on, can provide the scoring punch off the dribble that Reaves usually brings ^[1][3].

The second question is whether the Lakers can clean up the very things Redick keeps talking about ^[6]. A road game against a division rival is a good place to show it. If the rebounding and the ball security hold up, an eighth straight win is within reach. If not, the Suns will have a chance to hand the league's hottest team a reminder that streaks do not last forever.