The Los Angeles Lakers received a bit of a scare on Saturday morning when superstar Luka Doncic appeared to hurt his knee while playing in an exhibition game for Slovenia against Latvia ahead of EuroBasket.
Doncic got his team off to a great start with 15 points in the first quarter and 26 points in the first half to go along with four rebounds and five assists. Early in the third quarter, however, one of his teammates was going for a rebound and fell into Luka’s leg.
It did not look good initially as Doncic limped his way back to the locker room to get looked at. That type of play is common in basketball and can often lead to a serious leg injury.
He did not return to the game, although he eventually emerged back to the Slovenian bench with his teammates and appeared to be in good spirits.
It was then confirmed on Sunday morning that Doncic indeed avoided injury and he is expected to return to practice on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s exhibition game against Great Britain, the Slovenia National Team announced (translated into English):
After the match in Riga, the team will continue preparations for EuroBasket on Monday – already on Tuesday, a clash with Great Britain awaits us at Arena Stožice.
The team will also be joined in training by captain Luka Dončić, who fortunately finished the game against Latvia without injury.
Considering Doncic just signed a big extension with the Lakers, seeing him get hurt while playing for Slovenia definitely isn’t ideal for the organization. They have legit championship aspirations this upcoming season that can only be achieved if Doncic is healthy and on the floor.
He luckily avoided injury this time, but the EuroBasket tournament hasn’t even started yet so the Lakers and their fans will continue to hold their breaths as long as the 26-year-old continues playing for Slovenia.
On the bright side, Doncic has looked exceptional so far in the two exhibition games he has played. The superstar is in the best shape of his life and will give Slovenia a fighting chance against superior opponents as long as he stays healthy.
Luka Doncic looking to prove doubters wrong
The last year has been a crazy one for Luka Doncic after shockingly being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers in February. With his lack of conditioning and work ethic being a big reason for the trade, Doncic completely transformed his body this offseason as he looks to prove his doubters wrong.
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