There was some concern about whether Luka Doncic would suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic spoke about his groin bothering him following the team’s loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, and with this being a back-to-back, it would’ve made complete sense to sit him out and not risk worsening the issue.
But Doncic would take the court in the Lakers’ blowout win over Atlanta and put forth another strong performance as he finished with 27 points and 12 assists while knocking down five 3-pointers. Doncic was originally listed as questionable because of that groin issue, but he made it clear afterwards that he always wants to suit up, regardless of injury.
“I don’t know. For me, I want to play,” Luka said after the 25-point victory. “I obviously wasn’t feeling 100% but, in my head, I always want to play.”
That is the mindset that makes Doncic such a special player. Minor ailments aren’t going to keep him down and he will always do whatever he can to make sure he is on the court every night.
There is some danger in that, however, especially with soft tissue injuries like a groin as one wrong move can turn something small into a much bigger issue that can keep a player out for a long time. To that point, Luka admitted that his groin is feeling a little worse than the previous night.
“It’s a little bit worse than yesterday, but we’ll be fine,” Doncic said.
Luka and the Lakers must move with caution in regards to this groin issue as the last thing they need is for Luka to be out for any extended period of time. The Lakers have three more games this week, including another back-to-back, followed by an eight-game road trip.
This is the toughest stretch of the year for the Lakers and they need LDoncic on the court and dominant as he has been all season long in order to get through this still in a good position in the Western Conference.
Luka Doncic applauds improvement from Jaxson Hayes
When he is on the court, one player whom Doncic has perhaps the most chemistry with is center Jaxson Hayes. Luka has always paired well with an athletic, rim-running center, but Hayes has shown recently that he can do a bit more and Doncic recently praised his Lakers teammate for the growth he has shown in his game.
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