The Los Angeles Lakers just received another brutal injury blow, and this one is for their final game before All-Star weekend. On Wednesday, one day before the scheduled tip-off against the Mavericks, Luka Doncic was officially ruled out of action, leaving Los Angeles without its highest leading scorer.
Doncic, 26, tweaked his hamstring on February 5th against the 76ers. He scored just 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, zero steals, and zero blocks in 16 minutes of play. Tomorrow will mark his fourth straight missed game, but he’ll be coming off over two weeks of recovery by the time he returns for their next game on February 20th, against the Clippers.
Doncic is still listed as day-to-day with a mild strain, and his status for Sunday’s All-Star game remains uncertain. For the first time in his career, Doncic was the league’s leading vote-getter this season, and fans were anticipating his play to spice up a star-studded event in Los Angeles. But as much as he wants to play this weekend, Luka knows better than to risk his health for a meaningless game.
Fortunately, after starting full-contact drills this week, Doncic is closer than ever to a return, and any further absences would likely be about injury prevention rather than injury maintenance. Still, with so much at stake this season, the Lakers cannot afford any setbacks to their leading star. If he’s at all compromised or feeling any discomfort, we can expect him to sit and get that full week of rest.
As for tonight’s game, it’s not all bad news for the Purple and Gold. After missing all five starters against the Spurs on Tuesday, only Luka and Deandre Ayton (questionable, right knee soreness) are listed on the injury report. That means they will at least have LeBron James and Austin Reaves back in action to stabilize the offense and provide crucial scoring. Their combined efforts should help the Lakers hold off a depleted Mavericks team, which remains without several key players.
At 32-21, the Lakers are fighting to stay in the top six, but repeated injuries are making things difficult. In what has been a recurring theme this season, guys have been in and out of the lineup, causing inconsistent lineups and disconnected rotations. For now, all the Lakers can really do is employ a “next man up” mentality until their team is whole again. It’s kept them afloat so far amid countless setbacks, but they’ll need more consistency from here on out if they want to make a lasting run.
