Lakers Win Seventh Straight but Wait on Austin Reaves' Heel; Kevin Fiala Returns as Kings Host Islanders

Luka Dončić scored 32 and Sandro Mamukelashvili 23 in a 123-112 win at Milwaukee, Reaves had imaging Thursday after negative X-rays, and the Kings get Fiala back for the first time since February.

By Herald Staff · Nov. 12, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Illustration of an empty indoor basketball court at night seen from a high corner of the arena, golden hardwood and a purple painted key lit by beams of spotlights through light haze, with a basketball resting near the free-throw line and a hoop in the foreground beneath tiers of dark empty seats. — The Lakers are off until Sunday after winning their seventh straight game Wednesday in Milwaukee, giving Austin Reaves time to recover from a left heel injury.

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers keep winning, but their latest victory came with a scare. Los Angeles beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112 on Wednesday night for its seventh straight win, then spent Thursday waiting on imaging for Austin Reaves, who left the game in the third quarter with a left heel injury. Across town, the Kings try to snap a two-game skid tonight against the New York Islanders, and they'll do it with Kevin Fiala back in the lineup for the first time in nine months.

Mamukelashvili Shines in His Old Building

Luka Dončić scored 32 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 23 and Reaves had 18 as the Lakers improved to a league-best 11-2, the Associated Press reported. Mamukelashvili, a second-round pick of the Bucks in 2021, matched the season high he set Monday in Atlanta. Walker Kessler had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Collin Sexton scored 10.

Dončić scored 16 points in the first quarter, and the Lakers led 30-28 after one and 61-50 at halftime. They broke the game open in the third, outscoring Milwaukee 33-23 to lead 94-73, according to the NBA.com game summary. Mamukelashvili hit back-to-back three-pointers midway through that quarter, Lakers Nation noted, which helped coach JJ Redick rest his starters for much of the fourth.

The defense did a lot of the work. Milwaukee committed 19 turnovers, and the Lakers turned them into 28 points. They also outscored the Bucks 22-12 on the fast break, LakersWire reported. Tyler Herro returned from a bruised knee to score 25 points for the Bucks, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added a season-high 23. Milwaukee has now lost eight straight and is 1-11.

Waiting on Reaves

Reaves landed awkwardly after a missed fast-break dunk with 8:21 left in the third quarter. He stayed in the game after a timeout, then took himself out with 5:20 left and limped to the locker room with team medical staff, ESPN reported. He did not return.

Redick said X-rays taken at the arena were negative and that the team had ruled out any problem with Reaves' Achilles tendon. "No update on AR until we'll have imaging tomorrow," Redick said, according to ESPN. NBA.com said that imaging was scheduled for Thursday back in Los Angeles, and no results had been made public as of Thursday afternoon.

The worry is real for a player off to the best start of his career. Reaves is averaging a career-best 23.5 points on 50.8% shooting, the Los Angeles Times reported, and he missed time last season with multiple calf strains and an oblique strain. Dončić also rolled his ankle late in the game but avoided a significant injury, Redick said, and Sexton had a scare of his own in the second half, according to ESPN.

The schedule gives everyone a break. The Lakers don't play again until Sunday at Phoenix, the last stop on a four-game road trip. If Reaves can't go, Ziaire Williams could move into the starting lineup, CBS Sports noted.

Fiala Returns as the Kings Host the Islanders

The Kings (5-9-2) host the Islanders (7-6-4) at Crypto.com Arena at 7 p.m. Pacific, two nights after they were shut out 3-0 by Nashville. Fiala will make his season debut, NHL.com reported. He fractured his left leg playing for Switzerland at the Winter Olympics in February and had a follow-up procedure in September. He is projected to skate on a line with Quinton Byfield and Mats Zuccarello.

Drew Doughty is expected to play after taking a slap shot off his right ankle against the Predators and missing Wednesday's practice, NHL.com said. Darcy Kuemper is expected to start in goal in what would be his 500th career NHL appearance, according to the Kings' game preview. That would make him the 87th goaltender in league history to reach the mark. The Kings won the teams' first meeting 3-2 in overtime in October, when Artemi Panarin scored twice and Kuemper made 41 saves.

Home ice hasn't helped much. The Kings are 2-6-0 at Crypto.com Arena and rank 30th in the NHL on the penalty kill at 65.4%, according to the Islanders' preview. The power play has been a bright spot, with seven goals in five games on the homestand. New York has lost four straight but gets forward Matias Maccelli and defenseman Ryan Pulock back from injuries tonight, the Islanders said, while center Jean-Gabriel Pageau will sit with a lower-body injury.

Around Town

The 2-8 Clippers are back at Intuit Dome on Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rams (5-4) visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday before their bye, and the winless Chargers play at Baltimore on Monday night, according to the team's schedule.

Original reporting by The Los Angeles Herald, drawing on the Associated Press, NBA.com, ESPN, the Los Angeles Times, LakersWire, Lakers Nation, CBS Sports, NHL.com, the Kings, the Islanders and the Chargers, as linked above.