Luka Doncic is now a believer in the “conspiracy theory” that injured players always return against the Los Angeles Lakers. In his postgame press conference after the 108-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Doncic was asked if he feels the Lakers have a big target on their backs, and he believes they do.
“Yeah, I think so,” Doncic said. “I didn’t believe it before, but they say like if somebody’s out a long time then they play against the Lakers. I don’t know, I didn’t believe that (for) a long time, but obviously it’s the Lakers. So, I think that’s normal.”
Luka Doncic said he’s already learned how other teams tend to get up to play the Lakers and give them their best shot. “I didn’t believe it before, but they say if somebody is out a long time, then they play against the Lakers … So I think that’s normal [now].” pic.twitter.com/MPQt0Bp903
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 3, 2025
The theory that opposing players do that was strengthened in the minds of Lakers fans here, thanks to Norman Powell. Powell had not played since the All-Star break due to left knee tendinopathy but was back for Sunday’s clash. The fact that the guard then had to exit the game due to injury in the first quarter led to many believing he had rushed back to play against the Lakers.
That might not be an accurate assessment, though, as Powell had to leave because of right hamstring soreness. The latest injury wasn’t really related to the previous one. Powell also didn’t play when these teams faced off on Friday, which shoots some more holes in the theory.
You’d reckon the biggest motivation Powell might have had to return as soon as possible was the 65-game rule for awards. The 31-year-old has already missed 14 games and can only miss a few more before he becomes ineligible. Here’s hoping this hamstring issue doesn’t keep Powell out for too long.
Getting back to the Lakers, Doncic isn’t the first player to claim these lines. LeBron James once implied that players are resting before playing against the Lakers, which appears to be a belief within that locker room.
There have been a few instances this season where we have seen players play against the Lakers but sit out for other games. The most notable example perhaps was Bradley Beal playing against them on Dec. 25 and Dec. 28 but missing games against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 26 and the Clippers on Dec. 31.
Was that intentional? Well, only Beal knows. Later on in the season, Lakers fans were convinced that Jrue Holiday and Al Horford would intentionally miss a game against the Clippers to be ready for them.
Holiday and Horford did sit out for the Clippers game on Jan. 22, but they were back for the Boston Celtics against the Lakers on Jan. 23. That would have only strengthened the notion that opposing players were resting up for the Lakers.
Whether that’s actually happening or not, it’s not stopping the Lakers from racking up wins of late. They have won 16 of their last 19 games and are currently on a six-game winning streak. They now have a 38-21 record and are second in the standings in the Western Conference.
The Lakers will be in action next against the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 10:30 PM ET. The Pelicans might well bring their A-game to that clash, but it’s unlikely to be enough to get the win.
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